Unexpected Surprise
by PinkAngel17
Summary: Captain Janeway is about to get a surprise she wasn't expecting...especially in the Delta Qaudrant.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own Star Trek Voyager or anything else related to it! I just play with the characters...

This is my first Voyager story. I'm not too sure how it turned out, so let me know what you think. It's just a simple oneshot that popped into my head the other day and refused to leave until it was written. Hope you like it!

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Captain Kathryn Janeway was a mixture many roles. She could be a cold hearted Starfleet officer, a threatening adversary, even a comforting shelter during an emotional storm if the moment called for it. Basically, she was a lot of things, but she wasn't weak and certainly not easily scared. But this….this was different.

_How the hell did this even happen?_

Oh, right….the memory alone brought a small, almost mischievous smile to her face. Looking back down at the small screen she read over the results for what seemed like the hundredth time. Yep, there was no doubt about it. She was pregnant.

"…And so I'll be providing you with a new nutritional regiment which you're to begin immediately." The Doctor's voice finally broke through the haze of shock making her turn her head upwards to meet his eyes. She honestly hadn't even realized he'd been talking before. Not that he needed to know that.

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Doctor." She answered simply in the best 'captain's voice' she could manage under the circumstances.

Pregnant? In the Delta Quadrant? And she was supposed to be the captain! Tuvok would never let her live this down, that was for sure. He still gave her that knowing, eyes boring into your head, look over things that happened years before when they hadn't even been in this damn quadrant!

For some reason she couldn't bring herself to be angry, disappointed, or even really scared when it came right down to it. No, now that the initial shock was beginning to fade all she felt was contentment and pride, and maybe even a tinge of hope mixed in there. She'd get through this, just like she always managed to live through hard times and come out the other end as a stronger person.

And this time she wouldn't be alone to face the unknown. She knew, somehow, that this would all work out. Over the years, the Voyager crew had become so much more then just crewmates who shared the same living space and same basic goals. They were a family…her family. And she knew her crew, her family, would stick by her till the end. Even if they had to deal with a hormone enhanced captain for a few months.

Especially her senior officers. She almost grinned at the thought of what their first reaction would be to this news. If she was shocked then how could she expect anything less from them!

_Oh no….crap._

Hovering. It was bound to happen. Between Chakotay, Tuvok, Neelix, the Doctor, and the rest of the crew she was going to be completely mental by the time this child was born. She would have to cut it off in the pass before it had a chance to get too unbearable. Pregnant did not equal fragile after all. And certainly not helpless when it came to Captain Kathryn Janeway!

Judging by the way the Doctor was standing unusually close and the beaming, proud look on his face she knew the over-protectiveness was already kicking in. And if the data PADD in his hand that was filled with her new nutrition plans was any indication, the next nine months were going to be hell.

She could see it now. The Doctor fallowing her around, force feeding her, trying to get her to rest in the middle of her bridge shift…

"Congratulation, Captain!" He exclaimed obviously thrilled about the whole situation.

"Thank you, Doctor." She replied, her own smile growing from a mixture of her own excitement and his. "I think it'd be best to keep this development to yourself for awhile though, if you don't mind." She stated in the tone that said she wasn't actually asking.

"Ah, of course. You'll want to inform the child's father first before rumors have chance to do it for you." He stated, still smiling, as she hopped down from the exam table.

"It is a small ship, Doctor." She answered, smoothing out her uniform as she did. "And I'd like to tell the senior staff myself as well. Which I should probably do soon considering the way I left the bridge this morning. Who knows what ridicules idea Tom and Harry will come up with if given time to think."

"Indeed." The Doctor said with a scuff and rolling his eyes.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, Doctor, I have news to distribute." She moved away, hoping to reach the door before….

"Don't forget your regiment!" Came the Doctors voice from behind her. So close, but she just didn't make it to the door in time.

"Oh course, thank you." She said as he handed her the PADD with a look that seemed to say 'you wont be able to evade me this time'.

The look faded in the next instant though, only to be replaced with a softer, almost compassionate one. "Really, Captain, congratulations. I'm sure this will be quite the adventure. I'm also sure I speak for the whole crew when I say we'll 'have your back' as the saying goes. We'll get through this just like we always do."

"I have no doubt you will, Doctor." She replied in her own soft, grateful tone. "This isn't the first pregnancy on this ship you realize." She said a bit more loudly, in her normal tone of voice.

"Perhaps not, but" He began, giving her his full attention as if to get the point across. "This is the Captain's pregnancy. It'll be a bit more…complex. Also, you're the center of this crew. You're pregnancy is our pregnancy. This child will belong to the whole crew. As such it will most likely be protected and cared for by every one of us as if it were our own."

Even with all her self control she couldn't stop the small smile that graced her face or the softening of her features at his words. It was times like this she felt truly gifted with such an amazing crew.

"Now, off you go." He suddenly said, as if he realized just how emotional he just became and wasn't exactly comfortable with it. "I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold off Mr. Paris when he comes down for his shift. He has a tendency to be sneaky when he wants to be."

With one last pointed glance down at the PADD he turned and walked to his office, leaving her standing there. With a slight chuckle and a shake of her head she turned and escaped the sickbay.

It was turning out to be a busy day. First nearly getting sick on the bridge and then finding out she was pregnant. Now she was out to break the news to the father and then a staff meeting to explain recent 'developments' to the extended aunts and uncles.

_Hmmm, I wonder if B'Elanna would be willing to be a godmother? Or maybe Seven. It might make her feel more involved and more connected with the rest of the crew._

She would have to think about it. As well as names. And living quarters. And defense plans in case something should go wrong. And…she was going to be doing a lot of thinking over the next few months.

But of course she wouldn't be making these decisions alone, she realized. The baby's father would no doubt have a few suggestions. Though a twenty-four hour escort would not be an option! And her senior staff would have a few thoughts most likely.

Walking down the hall and into the turbolift she realized just how connected she suddenly felt with her crew…her family. The Doctor was right, this wasn't just her baby, it was the ship's baby. He or she was going to have _lot_ of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

As the turbo lift stopped and Tom Paris got on as she stepped out she admitted that there'd be a few who would be especially close relatives.

"Captain." Tom greeted with a nod and smile just before the turbo lift doors closed.

She smiled to herself as she turned and made her way to her office. She couldn't wait to see his and the other senior officers' reactions to the big news. It should prove to be a memorable occasion. But first she had to tell the father. Which should no doubt be interesting as well.

Sitting down behind her desk she made sure her captain's mask was in place, no smile in sight or any other give away, and got ready to call the expectant father.

"Commander Chakotay, to my ready room."

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So, what did you think? Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek Voyager, but I'm pretty sure everyone already knew that.

A/N: Thank you for reading and for all the great reviews! Since many of you seemed to want more of this story I decided to continue. Hope you like it!

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The ready room door slid open revealing the bear like form of her first officer. _Finally!_ She was beginning to wonder if he'd forgotten the way to her ready room. Or maybe she was just a bit anxious about delivering such big news. Not that she'd ever let that show on the outside. Oh no, as far as any of her crew were concerned she was the epitome of peace and confidence and that was how it was going to stay if she had anything to do about it.

She found it a bit more difficult to keep the smile off her face in this instance though. Especially with the way Chakotay was watching her, that almost innocent smile and yet rigid back of a Starfleet officer. What she was about to tell him would no doubt make him loose that commander persona. She had to repress a sadistic smirk at the thought of _that_.

"Captain?" He asked, breaking her out of the thoughts currently running rapid through her head. When she met his eyes she was faced with a look that was definitely not innocent. He found her momentary distraction far too amusing and she found a strange satisfaction in the fact she was about to wipe that mischievous glint out of his eyes.

This was going to be interesting….

"Commander, I believe there's something we need to discuss." She began in her usual 'I'm the Captain' voice while standing up and moving around the desk.

"I've already told Paris to stop provoking B'Elanna while she's working…" He started, following her as she moved towards the replicator.

She stopped in front of the machine and turned around to face the father-to-be who had moved so he was only a foot or two away from her. "This isn't about Mr. Paris distracting B'Elanna." Not this time anyways, she added silently in her head.

"I've been given some…interesting news today." She explained vaguely, crossing her arms over her chest when her first officer took a step closer with both curiosity and concern in his eyes.

"Is it about this morning on the bridge?" He asked and she could tell it was taking all his will power not to come right out and ask what was going on.

"What did you hear about this morning?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing much." He answered with a shrug. "Tom just mentioned you left the bridge without saying anything and that you seemed to be in a hurry."

"It does have to do with that, yes." She answered, walking past him in an attempt to hide the half smile beginning to make itself known.

"Is everything alright?" She heard him ask and noticed he didn't bother to hide the worry lacing his voice.

"At the moment." She said nonchalantly. "However we're going to have to start preparing for the new crewmember we'll be receiving in about nine months." She continued teasingly with a smile.

"New crewmember…" Came Chakotay's strained voice as it faded away. When she didn't hear anything else she turned around, hoping he hadn't passed out on her ready room floor.

He hadn't…not quite anyways.

Instead he was sitting on her sofa, leaning forwards, with his mouth open slightly and his brows furrowed in shock. He wasn't moving either. Just sitting there. Maybe she should push him back onto the sofa before he fell into the floor? Then again if he fell onto the floor it might wake him up from his current state of shock.

"Chakotay." She said softly with a smile and moved forwards to stand in front of him.

"You're…pregnant?" He asked as if making sure he'd assumed correctly and wasn't just hallucinating.

"That's right." She said, grinning slightly at the way he was staring at her stomach. She hadn't been this shocked when the Doctor told her…had she? "Pregnant. Should I get Tuvok in here to explain how that happens or…"

She didn't get a chance to finish that sentence as her first officer's arms were suddenly wrapped around her midsection and pulling her forward so his head rested against her abdomen.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, she had to admit it was cute and…wait a minute, was he…talking to her stomach? She could swear she heard him murmuring something, but she couldn't quite make out what he was actually saying.

Before she could ask what he thought he was doing the buzzer sounded, letting them know there was someone outside, and the doors slid open. Neelix bounced into the room oblivious to what was going on, or at least at first.

After taking two steps inside he suddenly froze, mouth agape as he stared at the scene in front of him. "So sorry, Captain. I'll just…" He stuttered, gesturing wildly to the door behind him. "I'll just be going." He said and half ran, half jumped out of the room.

Rolling her eyes she went to move away, but seemed to be stuck. Looking down she realized Chakotay's face was still buried in her abdomen and it didn't seem he was going to be letting go anytime soon.

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Thanks for reading! Next chapter coming soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own Star Trek Voyager!

For those of you reading my story 'Dismissed', don't forget to vote on the 'Reader's Choice' poll that's posted on my profile!

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She wanted a cup of coffee. No, she wanted an entire pot of coffee! But the Doctor insisted she take it easy on the caffeine intake. And certain members of her crew were already shifting into the 'protect the captain' mode just like she knew they would. It hadn't even been 24 hours since she'd discovered she was pregnant and she already wanted to strangle someone!

However, sitting at her usual table in the mess hall, sipping the non-caffeinated tea Neelix had provided, and watching the few crewmembers who were around seemed to make her less murderous. Relaxing into her chair a bit she let her mind wander back to just a few hours ago….

After spending an hour and a half with Chakotay talking about how they were going to handle this newest development, such as names, rooming, and godparents; she then spent another fifteen minutes reassuring him repeatedly that she'd be careful. And another five minutes explaining in detail how she was the captain and was therefore not about to 'go on a nine month vacation' as he so suggested.

Once Chakotay had wondered back to the bridge with a barely suppressed grin she managed to catch up on the engineering reports. She was just moving on to Harry's operational report when the door chime interrupted her concentration. She called the visitor in while rolling her tense neck.

When the door slid shut she glanced up momentarily before going back to the report. "What can I do for you, Tuvok?" She asked the vulcan who, she noted, was watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought I would congratulate you." He stated simply, hands behind his back in proper Starfleet stance.

"Congratulate me?" She asked suspiciously as scenarios of just how he found out about the command teams 'situation' filled her head.

"Yes. Based on my observations I have come to the conclusion that you are pregnant." He told her as if it was completely natural for a starship captain to be thousands of light years away from home and pregnant.

For a brief moment she simply stared at him. Was it really that obvious? No, it couldn't be. She had just found out for herself this morning. It must be his vulcan skills of observation that lead him to that conclusion.

"I see." She finally said. "You know, Tuvok, one of these days I really am going to do something that surprises you." She added with a half smile while leaning back in her chair.

"Perhaps." The security officer said with a raised eyebrow that she just knew was meant to be a challenge.

"Just out of curiosity, how did you come to your conclusion." She couldn't help it, she had to know what gave it away.

"This morning you left the bridge in a rush, where paler then usual, and didn't give a reason for such actions. Later I overheard Mr. Paris mentioning how overly enthused the Doctor has been this morning. The final and most obvious clue was the fact you and the commander were in here for nearly two hours and when he finally returned to the bridge, Commander Chakotay had an unusual…excitement about him. Given your recent relationship with him over the last few months I found the answer to be simple."

"Simple. Of course." She stated nonchalantly with a nod. If this was 'simple' she'd hate to find out what his definition of 'impossible' was.

"Have you had lunch yet, Captain." He suddenly asked. Her head flew up to look at him with narrowed eyes. It had started. The overprotective, unnecessary, and annoying habit of hovering! What was it with men and pregnancies?

"As a matter of fact I haven't." She said coolly, looking him straight in the eyes to let him know she knew what he was thinking.

"Neither have I. Would you like to join me in the mess hall?" He asked and she was just about to tell him she had work to do when he kept talking. "It might help you to know that before I came in here, Commander Chakotay appeared to be getting ready to come in himself."

Somehow, that didn't surprise her. Actually she was more surprised it took him this long. Her lunch break was supposed to be an hour ago. Of course her security officer had seen fit to supposedly save her…it of course had nothing to do with him wanting to check up on her.

"Alright, Tuvok. Let's go. I wouldn't mind some nice chicken noodle soup anyways." She relented and grabbed the PADD on her desk before standing and following the far-too-sneaky-for-his-own-good vulcan out the door.

That had been several hours ago, however, and it was now nearing dinner time. Soon the mess hall would be filled with crewmen just getting off shift and others just going on. In other words the most opportune time to let the rest of the crew in on the command team's little secret. She and Chakotay had discussed how to tell the crew, including various scenarios involving the senior staff and ways to make them speechless, but in the end they settled on a more…subtle approach.

Glancing up she watched with a small amused smirk as various members of her crew filed in by twos and threes. Chakotay should be in one of those groups any minute now and their plan would commence.

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Thanks for reading! Next chapter coming soon!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own anything related to Star Trek Voyager.

A/N: For those of you reading my story 'Dismissed', today is the last day to vote on the final 'Reader's Choice' poll.

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Janeway knew this was a serious situation. She was the captain after all! And captain's didn't usually get pregnant like this. Of course, most starship captains weren't this far away from the nearest Federation command base either, but that was besides the point. The point was that she knew what this could mean and the dangers it could have. It certainly made things more complicated.

But she also knew that she, Chakotay and this crew could handle it. Just look at what they'd already accomplished and the obstacle they'd maneuvered through. It probably wouldn't be easy all the time, but they could deal with it…they _would_ deal with it. Like the Doctor had said just this morning, it was the crew's baby too. Knowing this and accepting the situation made dealing with it easier.

Which was why she would be able to have a bit of fun with this instead of stressing herself out over it. She had no doubt the stressing would come later anyways. At first she'd figured they'd just make a formal announcement after telling the senior staff, but as Chakotay started recommending different ideas she found herself pulled into the little game as well.

Some of the plans they'd come up with were a bit…over the top and others were just too boring. In the end they agreed on one that would keep the crew guessing and interested for a bit before eventually just telling them out right.

Their idea seemed fitting as well considering the way the crew had 'discovered' the relationship between the command team. Had it really been nearly eight months now? It didn't seem that long ago that she and Chakotay had finally gotten together after dancing around each other for so long.

Three months into their newly defined relationship, the crew had begun to see just the slightest bit of differences. They noticed how Chakotay always seemed to be in her quarters, or he'd be caught staring at her with a far away look, some people even saw the goofy grin he'd get as she whispered in his ear during lunch in the mess hall. B'Elanna later told her that it was the small things that tipped the crew off the most.

She and Chakotay had wanted to keep their relationship to themselves at first, just to make sure it wouldn't interfere with their ship duties. B'Elanna and Tuvok had been the first to know about their relationship officially. In a way they were used as test subjects to see what their reactions would be. She and Chakotay were then going to tell the rest of the senior staff and then eventually the entire crew. They didn't get that far though.

Naturally it didn't work out quite how they'd thought it would. It was only a matter of time before the gossip had started and in the end the command team decided to just confirm what they all already thought.

That was five months ago now. Just enough time for the crew to be completely accustomed to their captain and first officer being together romantically….and now that same pair was about to drop an even bigger torpedo in their laps.

Tom had once mentioned that no one had been all that surprised by her and Chakotay being together, but she had a feeling the newest development might just give them a bit of a shock. For some reason she found that oddly amusing and also quite satisfying.

She was pulled from her musings when she heard the familiar foot steps of her first officer. Looking up she gave him a half smile which he returned with a grin as he took the seat opposite her at the table.

"How's Neelix's newest concoction?" He asked indicating the plate in front of her and the one he had as well.

"Let's just say I've had worse." She answered glancing down at the still full plate of what resembled lumpy mashed potatoes with orange dots mixed in. "I've also had better." She added, taking a sip of her tea.

Damn. She really wanted coffee instead of this tea substitute. She'd only had one cup today. One more couldn't hurt, right? And the Doctor didn't need to know…

"Kathryn…" Chakotay's voice broke her out of her thoughts making her look up from where she'd apparently been staring into her tea cup. She was met with a knowing look and a barely hidden smirk as he glanced between her face and the tea.

She rolled her eyes at him and just took another sip of non-caffeinated tea. She'd have to wait until she was alone in her office to have another cup of caffeinated bliss it seemed. That is as long as he hadn't seen fit to program her replicator to only allow one cup per day. He'd already threatened it once…which she then responded to by detailing just where she'd throw his ass if he so much as touched her replicator.

They set and finished their meal, nonchalantly talking about ship business as they normally would and, expect for the occasional secretive looks they gave each other, they did nothing too obvious that would draw attention besides holding hands under the table, but the crew was already used to seeing that in the mess hall by now.

Once they were done eating she glanced around at the various tables. Yep, this would be the perfect time. It was full of crewmen…including Neelix, Tom, and Harry who could each spread news faster then the Doctor could fix a scraped knee.

She looked up and caught Chakotay's eyes. He nodded slightly with a glint of both amusement and adoration in his dark orbs and even a barely hidden spark of pride that made her smile in return.

She stood first, picking up her empty tray, and moving to stand alongside her first officer as he picked up his tray as well. Then together they walked to the disposal to drop off their used plates and cups, barely being noticed by the others in the room.

This was it. She made sure no amount of amusement was showing on her face and adopted a casual expression as they slowly moved towards the exit. Glancing to her left she noted Chakotay had managed to adopt a similar nonchalant exterior as well.

Once they were only a few feet from the door and just about to pass by Tom and Harry's table they began talking. "I'll meet you in the holodeck in an hour?" Chakotay half stated, half asked in a voice loud enough to be heard by others, but not too loud as to be obvious.

"I'll be there, but don't bring the wine this time. It's not good for the baby." She answered in an equally nonchalant tone and just loud enough to be easily overheard.

As the command team left she noted, with a mischievous grin, the sudden lack of noise in the mess hall. The only thing that could be heard was the swoosh as the doors slid shut behind them. It seemed they'd managed to knock the crew speechless. However, it wouldn't be long now before the entire ship was buzzing with gossip.

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Did you like it? Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek Voyager, but then again I'm pretty sure everyone knew that already.

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It was almost completely silent in _Voyager'_s corridors. The only sound being the hum of the warp core and the subtle vibrations that only those accustomed to space travel were attuned to. It was peaceful at this time of night. Which is why the ship's captain was walking the halls.

She almost felt more connected to her ship during these late night walks. Once in awhile Chakotay or Tuvok would accompany her, but not tonight. Tonight it was just her and the silent corridors. It gave her time to think about things both professional and personal. Tonight it was mostly personal affairs she was contemplating.

The plan she and Chakotay had thought up had worked. Honestly, she had her doubts about it at first. After all she wasn't one to put herself in the center of her crew's attention, but Chakotay had made some pretty good arguments. The crew would gossip whether they said something or not and this would give the moral on board a boost…something Neelix was sure to love. And she had to admit, it was quite amusing to say the least!

She had gotten a glimpse of Harry's face out of the corner of her eye as they had slipped out of the mess hall. She would have done it all over again just to see the shocked, open mouthed look on his face with his spoon frozen in mid air. She could only imagine what everyone else in the room looked like!

Within two hours the rumors had spread throughout the ship like a wild fire. She had seen the evidence for herself when, after a nice boat trip on the holodeck, she and Chakotay had walked back to the quarters they shared. On the way they passed by various crewmembers who would glance up at them immediately with curiosity, amusement, or even surprise on their faces.

No one stopped them or asked questions. Only the occasional smile or 'hello' in their direction. She suspected that would change soon though. By in the morning the initial shock would be subsiding enough for them to be more vocal and then the questions would start coming up.

By tomorrow afternoon the command team would confirm or deny all the rumors currently floating around and then things would calm down…for awhile at least. She and Chakotay would have to have a meeting with the senior staff about the situation, but they'd both agreed it could wait a day or two until the crew was a bit more accustomed to the news.

She really should be heading back to get some sleep for now though. She was probably going to need a few hours rest for what was most likely to be a busy day tomorrow…or actually later today since it was now well past midnight.

Wait…what was that? She could have sworn she heard muffled voices up ahead. Very familiar muffled voices. With a raised eyebrow she slowly made her way to the end of the corridor and stopped to look around.

Around the corner and to her left she heard the 'snap' of a Jefferies tube hatch being closed and then shuffling as if someone, or in this case two someone's, were moving about. She could also hear the voices more clearly now.

"Look Tom, I know what you _think_ you heard, but that doesn't mean you actually heard it or that it means what you think it does." She heard B'Elanna say in that tone of voice that said Tom had been spending the past several hours attempting to get the engineer to believe one of his far fetched, or in this case not so far fetched, ideas.

"B'Elanna, I'm not the only one who heard her!" Tom stated. "Harry was there too and so were at least a dozen others who heard the captain say 'baby'." He tried explaining.

"So I've been told, but that doesn't mean you couldn't have misheard. The mess hall can be pretty noisy sometimes and you said yourself that the captain and Chakotay were leaving which means they were moving around and facing away from you. For all you know she could have been calling him baby!" Came B'Elanna's retort.

"Captain Janeway doesn't call Chakotay 'baby'." He said, almost disgustedly which nearly made her laugh.

"How do you know?" B'Elanna asked and she could just imagine the chief engineer crossing her arms challengingly.

"I don't know…he just…that's not the point anyways." Tom said, stuttering slightly as if looking for the words to explain it. "She wasn't calling someone 'baby' she was talking _about_ a baby."

"Tom…" B'Elanna started with a sigh. "Even if you're right how do you know it wasn't some sort of…trick or that they weren't talking about a baby puppy or something. They were going to the holodeck after all."

"What about this morning? When she left the bridge in such a hurry. Sounds like morning sickness to me!" He pointed out.

"Maybe she had a cold." B'Elanna answered flatly.

"B'Elanna…"

"Tom, you may be right, but I'm not going to jump to conclusions just because a few of the crew overheard bits of a conversation. I'll believe it when Chakotay and the captain say so themselves…" B'Elanna stated firmly and continued after a brief pause. "And I'm not the only one who's not going to just blindly believe a bunch of rumors. Now, do you mind if I drop this stuff off in engineering so that I can go take a shower." B'Elanna added.

She then heard them moving so turned the corner herself just in time to see the two senior officers step out of the alcove and begin walking down the corridor away from her, obviously not noticing she was there.

As they moved away she could just make out a few words before they turned another corner. "The last rumor about them was right." She heard Tom mutter.

"Rumors can't be true all the time." Came B'Elanna's response before their voices faded down another hallway.

So, she had been right earlier when she pointed the same thing out to Chakotay. Not all the crew believed the little show she and Chakotay had put on in the mess hall. Well, that would change tomorrow. Even if a few crewmen didn't believe the so called rumors, they would certainly get a bit of surprise when their captain ordered decaffeinated coffee for breakfast in the morning.

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How'd you like this chapter? Review please!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: This chapter is kind of long, but I didn't want to break it up into seperate parts. So, are you ready for the senior staff's reaction?

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Janeway leaned against the window, facing the briefing room table, and sipped her coffee. That's right, coffee. It was just one cup and she honestly needed it this morning given her lack of sleep. Even with her slight sleep deprivation and the fact she'd probably be getting a lecture from the Doctor later, she still found it difficult to keep from smiling. However, she settled with an amused smirk.

Sitting in front of her were five of her senior staff. Tuvok, in his ever dispassionate attitude, sat to the right of her chair, hands folded in his lap and a look of nonchalantness on his face. Seven was beside him, skimming through what looked like an astrology chart of this sector of space and looking as if this spur of the moment meeting was of no great surprise. Next came Neelix who was chatting cheerfully with the helmsman to his right.

Tom, for his part, at least appeared to be trying to focus on Neelix, but upon occasion would covertly glance up the table between the first officer and the captain with a look of barely restrained curiosity. Chakotay, of course, was sitting directly to the left of her chair and seemed to be enjoying making Tom fidget. One moment he would be making a comment to Tuvok about something, then the next grinning at her with a half smile before once again returning to his casual appearance. It seemed to be driving Mr. Paris insane with curiosity.

And she found it highly amusing.

Unfortunately the show wouldn't last much longer. Soon the remaining two crewmembers would arrive and the meeting would commence, seeing as how the Doctor wasn't planning on attending this time because he was already fully aware of the situation. Tuvok didn't necessarily need to be here either, but he had informed her his absence might be seen as odd and therefore ill-advised for him not to be in attendance. She had then informed him that he just wanted to see the senior staff's reactions. The only response she got for that was a raised eyebrow. He never did deny it though.

As if on cue to distract her from her internal victory smirk over that memory, the briefing room doors slid open to admit B'Elanna and Harry. Well, it seemed it was time for the last stage of her and Chakotay's announcement plan. She forced the smirk off her face and adopted her patented neutral expression while pushing off the wall.

Janeway took her usual chair just as Harry took his seat next to Chakotay and B'Elanna sat next to Tom. "How did the diagnostics go?" She asked calmly, pulling her chair closer to the table and folding her hands on the surface.

"Everything's up to speed, Captain." Harry answered, glancing up at her before glancing quickly over at Chakotay as if expecting something to explode in front of him.

"Anymore problems with the transporters?" She might as well ask while she had them all in one spot, right? And if it drew out the tension and curiosity a bit more that was just a coincidence.

"No, ma'am." Harry answered quickly. She almost smiled at the look he and Tom shared across the table…almost.

She noticed B'Elanna looking between the two men, obviously not amused, before apparently deciding to elaborate a bit. "The problem was in one of the individual transporter controls. A circuit was burnt out and it caused malfunctions to spread to the whole system. We replaced one circuit and repaired another then ran a full diagnostic. Everything seems to be working normally now."

"Good." She stated with a nod, looking around the table. "We should keep an eye on it for a few more days just to be sure though."

"Yes, Captain." B'Elanna agreed, giving a quick nod of her own. Janeway had a feeling the engineer probably would have done that anyways without her saying so, but better safe then sorry…especially in the Delta Quadrant.

She looked around the table for a moment, noticing a few select crewmen fidgeting, and was about to go onto the next subject at hand, in other words the fact she was in fact pregnant, but didn't quite get the chance. Apparently Tom had had enough of the command team's game.

"Well?" He asked, leaning forward in his chair. "Is it true?" She had wondered just how long it would take. He'd made it to five minutes…or maybe six. She'd have to ask Tuvok later.

"Is what true, Tom?" She asked right back, forwarding her brows in confusion to play along.

"The rumor!"

"What rumor would that be?" Chakotay interjected, acting just as confused as she did. "There's at least a dozen on this ship on any given day."

"The one about…you know…" Harry began, looking back and forth between Tom and the command team, and shifting in his seat nervously. "…a baby." He added softly and adverted his gaze from the couple at the head of the table.

"What about an infant, Ensign?" Seven asked, brows forwarded, and Janeway honestly wasn't sure if the former borg seriously hadn't heard the rumor, or was simply playing along as she and Chakotay were. She suspected it was the first given Seven's lack of interest in rumors and the fact she seemed genuinely oblivious.

"The Captain's baby!" Tom exclaimed exasperatedly, looking like he was about to jump up from the table at any moment.

"I was not informed of any such development." Seven stated flatly, but with an edge of accusation in her voice.

"That's because there may not be any development! No one has been informed of anything yet." B'Elanna suddenly exclaimed while rolling her eyes.

"I do not understand." Came Seven's response and Janeway was suddenly finding it even harder to keep a straight face.

"It's just a rumor, Seven." The engineer explained irritatedly. "It probably isn't even true."

Janeway smirked and leaned back in her chair since the senior staff seemed to be far too focused on the current conversation to even remember she and Chakotay were still in the room.

"I see. Rumors are an inefficient use of time and a incorrect source for information." The former borg replied nonchalantly while looking at Harry and Tom.

"Look, I know what I heard, alright!" Tom exclaimed, looking back and forth between B'Elanna and Seven and getting a nod from Harry.

"I am inclined to agree with Lt. Torres and Seven. Rumors are often unreliable and should generally be ignored." Tuvok added to the conversation.

Janeway rolled her eyes and nearly scoffed at her security officer. Wasn't he the one who had listened to Tom gossiping and then come to her with congratulations for something she hadn't even confirmed yet? Not to mention how he had told her that he was here simply to be present at a senior briefing and not for any amusement sake, but yet was playing along with the charade!

If this wasn't over soon she was going to have to excuse herself just so she could go to her office and laugh hysterically before her lungs burst with the pressure currently building up. Glancing at her first officer she was pleased to see him in about the same state. When their eyes met she smiled just a bit more at the pure mirth present within his dark orbs and the ghost of a grin just barely being restrained.

Bringing her attention back to her crew she realized they were still in the middle of a rather chaotic conversation. Tuvok had at least managed to detangle himself from the verbal battle, but the remaining five crewmembers were still fully immersed. Maybe it was time to finally put them out of their misery. With one last glance at Chakotay in which she received an encouraging nod she straightened her back and leaned forward in her chair once more.

"But the captain is not pregnant?" She heard Seven half ask, half state while looking at Neelix.

"No!" B'Elanna exclaimed, putting her fist on the table for emphasis, clearly fed up with the other woman.

"Actually Lt., I'm going to have to disagree with you." She spoke up, abruptly bringing an end to all conversation. Suddenly all heads were turned in her direction and there was dead silence in the room.

She smirked at the shocked and surprised looks around the table. Especially B'Elanna's open mouthed disbelief that matched Tom's slightly agape mouth as if he'd stopped speaking right in the middle of a word. Seven's perplexed expression and Harry's wide eyes were nearly her undoing, followed closely by Neelix's broad smile as his mouth opened and closed intermediately.

"So, you are…you're…"

"The term is 'pregnant', Lt., and yes, I am." She answered casually, but with a small smile slowly crossing her face.

The confirmation was met with silence once more and for a moment she suddenly felt proud of being able to knock the senior staff truly speechless. After a few seconds passed it seemed the news had finally began to set in.

In one quick movement Tom was straightening up in his chair and smiling triumphantly. He was followed by Harry who began grinning from ear to ear and laughing while Seven simply raised an eyebrow. B'Elanna was the last to respond, but slowly her shock turned into a smile, though still slightly disbelieving.

It was definitely a scene Janeway would never forget, that much was for sure! She looked to her left at the father-to-be and had to smile at the proud and highly amused look that covered his face, making his eyes sparkle happily.

"I knew it!" She suddenly heard Tom exclaim jubilantly, bringing her attention back to the others in the room.

"How long have you known, Captain?" Neelix asked, practically bouncing in his seat with excitement.

"Only sense yesterday morning, Neelix." She felt she should probably assure him considering she could tell he felt a bit left out even though he was also obviously ecstatic about the news as well.

"Wow, you two are having a baby…" B'Elanna finally said with a laugh, while staring at the command team.

"Very eloquent there, B'Elanna." Chakotay teased, grinning broadly and making the engineer roll her eyes.

"Congratulations!" She watched as Neelix jumped up from his chair and rushed over with his arms open. The next thing Janeway knew she was being engulfed by a ball of orange fur.

As much as she appreciated Neelix's gesture, the hair along his jaw was tickling her nose and causing an irritating itch. Slowly she pulled back with an appreciative smile and patted the resident talaxian on the arm. She decided to ignore the snickers she heard and instead addressed the man in front of her.

"Thank you, Neelix." She told him politely and discreetly scratched the side of her nose. She heard another soft chuckle to her left and turned her head to see Chakotay watching her amusedly. She narrowed her eyes, but it seemed Neelix was going to take care of it for her.

As soon as she turned head, Neelix had walked around her chair and was now wrapping his arms around Chakotay's torso in a congratulatory hug. Chakotay's eyes widened slightly, causing her to smirk at him over Neelix's shoulder.

At least she wasn't going to be the only one who'd be the center of attention! Chakotay would have to deal with these kinds of things as well. Which she found extremely satisfying after his amusement at her expense.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. Looking to her right she was met with none other then Harry Kim as he stood with his hands behind his back and a grin on his young face. "Congratulations, Captain." He stated and then to her surprise he bent down and gave her a quick hug.

Still slightly stunned she watched as Harry moved around to congratulate Chakotay. "I think this trip is going to start getting a whole lot more interesting." She heard, turning her head to see who it was, she found Tom in front of her with B'Elanna and Seven just behind him.

"Disappointed, Mr. Paris?" She asked, with a raised eyebrow. Tom's grin widened and he laughed while shaking his head.

"Not at all, Captain." He answered and, once again to her utmost surprise, leaned over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze. This certainly was not the reaction she had anticipated. She returned the gesture with a small smile before Tom straightened back up. When he did she watched as he grew slightly more serious. "I get to be the godfather, right?" The question was delivered with a completely straight face, causing her to simply raised an eyebrow at him again.

"Not in this lifetime, Paris." Chakotay said from behind her. Tom look offended for a moment, but then smiled down at her before walking around the chair to Chakotay.

It seemed B'Elanna was next. Janeway watched as the engineer slowly approached, arms crossed and a small half smile on her face. For a moment the engineer simply stood and eyed her analytically. Well, if she was going to be inspected then she'd do so while standing and facing the firing squad.

So, she stood from the chair and gave B'Elanna her own half smile. "If Tom's the godfather does that make me the godmother?" B'Elanna asked with a smirk.

A slow smirk began to spread over her face to match B'Elanna's while she contemplated the answer. "I'm sure we'll be having another staff meeting to discuss that issue as well." She stated evenly and noticed Tuvok raising an eyebrow out of the corner of her eye.

"You might want to start a suggestion box in the mess hall for names while you're at it." B'Elanna added, lips quirking up in amusement.

She couldn't help it…she laughed. She figured she could always blame it on sleep deprivation later if need be. However, she wasn't laughing for long. B'Elanna moved forward in the next second and for the fourth time that morning Janeway had a crewmember's arms wrapped around her. With a smile she returned the hug, patting the engineer on the back.

Once B'Elanna pulled away she grinned and then looked over Janeway's shoulder. She didn't need to look to know who was standing directly behind her. She could sense whenever Chakotay was in the room, let alone standing close by. But she did turn to watch as B'Elanna hugged the first officer who happily engulfed the woman in his arms making them both laugh.

It was rather touching, actually, to see the two old friends so happy and relaxed with Tom, Harry, and Neelix gathered around as well. Watching B'Elanna congratulate Chakotay and tease him in her own way reminded her of the rather unique friendship between herself and Tuvok.

She was enjoying simply watching the exchanges, but she was brought out of her observations by the only remaining person in the room yet to give their congratulations.

"Captain." She heard from just behind her and turned instantly to face the young woman. The others were still immersed in conversation so they didn't notice as she addressed the newest crewmember.

"Seven." She greeted with a nod.

"I believe the customary response would be…congratulations." She stated evenly, hands behind her back and posture as straight as it usually was.

"Thank you, Seven." Janeway replied with a small smile. Times like this demonstrated how far the former borg had come and she couldn't help but be slightly proud. However, she obviously didn't know quite how far the other woman had come given what came next.

Seven suddenly stepped forwards and gave her a brief hug. It was a bit awkward at first, but the gesture meant more then the congratulatory words she had just spoken could ever mean. And Janeway had absolutely no idea how to respond.

It was one of the rare moments that barely, if ever, happened. She was speechless. Captain Kathryn Janeway, who always knew what to say and when to say it, suddenly had no words as the events of the last hour seemed to hit her all at once. She and Chakotay had started this game in hopes of knocking the senior staff speechless, but it seemed they had successfully turned the tables and given her one hell of shock in return.

The only thing she could do was grin. It was then she realized how silent the room had become. Glancing behind her she noticed that the others had stopped talking and were now watching the scene before them with a mixture of humor, shock, and joy in their expressions. Neelix even seemed ready to burst into either tears or shouts of happiness, she wasn't sure which.

"For the record, I believe Annika would be a sufficient name for a human child." Seven stated calmly as if she was completely unaware of what just happened.

Janeway looked at the other woman for a second and she could have sworn she saw just a hint of teasing flash through her eyes. "We'll keep that in mind." She replied just as calmly and with a smile as she heard a few chuckle from behind her.

Seven gave a brief nod before turning slightly to address the first officer who was grinning broadly. Of course, from what she could tell he hadn't actually stopped grinning sense she finally admitted to the staff that they were having a baby.

"Congratulations, Commander. I am sure you and the Captain will make adequate parents." Seven stated making B'Elanna snort and cross her arms.

"Thank you, Seven." Chakotay answered politely. "I think." He added a bit more quietly while looking sideways. Janeway gave him a pointed look which just made him smile at her mischievously.

"If that is all I would like to get back to astrometrics so I may finish my analysis of this systems planetary patterns." Seven stated, looking between the captain and first officer.

Seven may think she was hiding it, but Janeway could tell the young woman was feeling a bit uneasy after her latest human endeavor and in reality just wanted to leave the presence of so many people who had witnessed those actions. So she nodded her agreement and watched as Seven stoically left the briefing room.

"I guess this means you guys are going to make a general announcement to the rest of the crew now?" B'Elanna asked a few seconds later.

Janeway went to confirm that assumption, but was interrupted by Mr. Paris. "Actually, I think I have a better idea…" He began and the mischievous smirk that slowly spread across his face as he crossed his arms told her that she was either going to really like this newest scheme or really hate it.

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What did you think?


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Guess what? I still don't own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: This chapter was originally very long, so I've split it up into two chapters instead. The next one will be posted soon, I promise.

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It was amazing how quickly rumors could be twisted and turned until they were so distorted that not even Harry Kim could decipher them with the ship's computer. It had only been two days since the staff meeting and already the ship was buzzing with so many variants of the same rumor that each one could easily be a whole new story.

Her personal favorite was the one about Chakotay being impregnated by a holographic being while they were on the holodeck. At least she had found it humorous. Chakotay had actually gotten a bit pale when B'Elanna had told them about it.

Soon, however, both the far fetched and suspiciously accurate rumors would come to an end. On one hand, she was glad that this whole fiasco of twisted tales was going to finally stop, but another part of her, a very small part, was actually going to miss hearing the different stories her crew could come up with. Of course, she had no doubt that by the end of the month they'd find something else to gossip about. Preferably something that didn't involve her reproductive organs.

Walking into the mess hall twenty minutes early she decided to take the time to look around at what her senior staff had accomplished. She had to admit, Neelix was certainly creative with parties. Light blue and pink banners were hug above the doors and windows while a slightly larger one with words was hanging over the long buffet table. 'Congratulations!' was printed on the large banner, but not in just one language. Oh no, she counted at least fifty languages including Klingon, Vulcan, Romulan, Talaxian, and a multitude of others, some of which she recognized as originating from the Delta Quadrant while others she'd never even seen before.

Underneath that banner was a long table piled with food from Leola root backed chicken to zucchini finger sandwiches and a few covered dishes farther along that she assumed were the desserts. The rest of the tables had been cleared out except for a single squire table to the side that had a few wrapped boxes on top.

It was then she noticed the picture. It was framed and sitting on the arm rest of one of the lounge sofas. Walking over she picked it up and smiled down at the photo of her and Chakotay talking on the bridge. The Doctor had taken it randomly just a couple months after she and Chakotay had finally gotten together as a couple. This single photo spoke volumes about their unique connection and the invisible bond that seemed to exist between the command team.

"Not my best work, but I have a certain fondness for that one." She heard the Doctor say from behind her, but didn't turn around right away. Instead she looked at the picture for a moment longer and smirked lightly.

"Is there a particular reason this is here though?" She asked, turning to face the Doctor and still holding the picture frame.

"Apparently Neelix wanted a photo of the expectant parents, so I suggested that one and Mr. Paris provided the frame." He told her with an almost triumphant look. "I believe Mr. Neelix wanted it on the gift table as a decoration, but Naomi was just here looking at it. She must have put it there in her enthusiasm to help."

Naomi was here? Usually the young girl was standing at attention and asking if she could assist the captain with anything as soon as she entered the room. "Helping with what?"

She raised an eyebrow at the Doctor as he took the photo from her with a small smile. "Come with me, Captain. I'm sure you'll find this entertaining." She watched him suspiciously, but decided to follow anyways.

He dropped the framed picture off on the small gift table before leading her towards the kitchen. It was only as they drew closer that she noticed the muffled voices from somewhere behind the counter.

The Doctor stepped around the first counter into the doorway of the kitchen area and gestured for her to join him. She hesitated for just a second before doing as he asked and walking into the doorway. She certainly wasn't expecting what she saw.

Just inside the small area four of her officer were standing around. Well, actually, it was three crewmembers and a half. Neelix seemed to be attempting to do multiple things at once, including convincing Seven to chop a long yellow object while trying to get Tuvok to stir a steamy pot of…something. Meanwhile Naomi was sitting on a stool next to Neelix with a pout as she looked at Seven.

"But Seven, you have to help! It's for the Captain and Commander Chakotay. Besides Tuvok's helping to cook too!" Little Naomi said matter-of-factly.

"I am not cooking. I am simple supervising over certain aspects of the menu." The vulcan security officer stated evenly with his arms crossed over his chest nonchalantly.

"Why can I not simply 'supervise' as well?" Seven asked looking between the young girl and her godfather.

"It'll be fun!" Neelix exclaimed happily, getting a giggle from Naomi.

"Yeah, Seven, it'll be fun! Please…" Naomi pleaded, looking up at the borg with big round eyes that would have made a klingon do whatever the small child wanted.

Seven sighed and glanced over at Tuvok before nodding reluctantly. "Very well, what is it you wish for me to do."

"Well, some coffee would be nice." Janeway stated and smiled slightly when the four other occupants of the kitchen immediately turned to look in her direction.

"Captain!" Naomi exclaimed, jumping down from the stool with a grin that would rival even Neelix's.

"Captain, you're not supposed to be here for another fifteen minutes at least!" That time it was Neelix who addressed her as he slid between Tuvok and Seven to stand in front of her.

"Neelix, it isn't like I don't know what's going on. This is supposed to be mainly to inform the crew, not to surprise me and Chakotay." Speaking of her first officer…where was Chakotay anyways? He had left the bridge nearly half an hour ago to come down here and check on their progress. However, he was now no where to be seen.

"But this is for you and Chakotay as well! It's your baby shower!" The jubilant talaxian explained and she suddenly wondered which one of them was more excited about this party. "We have everything under control here, Captain. So why don't you just go relax with Commander Chakotay while we finish up here."

"And where exactly is Chakotay?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, but when Neelix started looking around the room and avoiding her gaze she wasn't sure she wanted to know anymore.

"He's, well…um…I'm sure he was around here somewhere…um…" He stuttered, looking around the corner and over into the main area as if looking for the first officer.

"If I remember correctly I believe you 'sent him to his room'." Tuvok finally reminded the talaxain with a raised eyebrow and a quick glance in her direction. She repressed the smile trying to escape when she heard Naomi snickering from behind Seven and instead simply crossed her arms with a pointed look at Neelix.

"I see." She said, sharing a quick look with the Doctor, Seven, and Tuvok over Neelix's shoulder. "Well do you mind if I stick around for awhile?"

"Of course not, Captain." Neelix answered with a fidgety grin. Good answer. If he had said yes she may have had to remind him just who's ship this was.

"Why, thank you, Neelix." She said and before she even had a chance to move she felt the talaxian guiding her away from the kitchen as Naomi and the Doctor watched amusedly.

"The kitchen's just a bit crowed though and you'll probably be more comfortable out here anyways." He told her happily while escorting her to the lounge area. If she didn't know better she'd swear he was hiding something.

However before she had a chance to start interrogating him, Seven's voice emerged from the kitchen. "Mr. Neelix, I believe there is something wrong with this pot. It is…vibrating."

"Excuse me, Captain." Neelix said hurriedly and left her standing by the sofa as he half ran towards the kitchen.

"Hey, Captain." She turned around and sure enough Tom Paris and B'Elanna were coming through the door carrying various containers. "You're early." The helmsman stated as they approached.

As if she hadn't already been informed of that. "Apparently." She answered simply. The two officers stopped in front of her and she watched as Tom looked around the mainly empty room.

"Where'd Chakotay go? He was here when we left." He asked curiously, causing B'Elanna to inspect the room as well.

She was about to explain how she wasn't exactly sure, but just as she opened her mouth the Doctor walked by on his way to the gift table and answered the question for her. "He was sent to his room."

"O…kay…" B'Elanna said, drawing the word out as she watched the Doctor arranging the gifts. "I'm not even going to bother asking." With that the engineer was walking towards the kitchen to deliver whatever was in those containers and was quickly followed by Tom.

She figured she might as well sit and relax for a minute now that she was alone so moved over to the sofa and sank down onto the cushions. She wasn't sure how long she sat and watched the Doctor arrange and then re-arrange that damn gift table, but eventually she felt the sofa dip as someone sat down next to her. She didn't even need to look to know who it was.

"I thought you got sent to your room?" She asked while rolling her neck tiredly. Just because there were no threats or dangers attempting to kill the crew didn't mean she wasn't still busy. It seemed she was always busy and now that she was sitting quietly her exhaustion was making itself known.

The deep chuckle to her right brought her head up as she locked eyes with her first officer. "I sneaked out. Hopefully Neelix won't figure it out until the party actually starts." He joked cheerfully, flashing her his patented dimpled grin.

She laughed along with him and decided to ignore the Doctor as he tried to covertly watch them. "I have to admit, I kind of like Tom's idea this time." She stated with a smirk as she leaned back into the sofa some more.

"Confirming a rumor by throwing a baby shower with the subjects of said rumor in attendance…it's certainly bound to be a Tom Paris classic." Chakotay agreed with a chuckle as he relaxed back onto the sofa next to her.

"Oh yes, this one will no doubt go down in _Voyager_ history." She added amusedly and glanced around the room. "They seem to be having a good time and the party hasn't even started."

She watched as Chakotay looked around at the senior staff who were walking back and forth through the room chatting happily and smiling like they hadn't in awhile. "They are." He said with a half smile and a knowing look. "Of course if Neelix cooks anymore food we'll have enough to feed this entire quadrant."

"Nope, just the entire crew. We do have to have enough so everyone can stop by and have some, after all." She laughed along with him and unconsciously placed her hand on her abdomen. She didn't even notice this instinctual action until she felt a large, warm hand on top of hers. She smiled softly as she looked down at their joined hands for a moment before looking back up at Chakotay who she now noticed was watching her with an adoring smile.

Just then the mess hall doors slid open and they both turned to see who the newest arrival was. Sitting up a bit straighter, she watched Harry Kim slowly make his way towards the kitchen while carrying in a rather large, heavy looking, crate.

She shared a glance with Chakotay and raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment on what could possibly be in that crate and why Neelix would need it. No, it was probably best for her sanity if she just didn't ask.

"I hope you're hungry, Kathryn." She could hear the laughter in Chakotay's voice and looked up to find him watching something over her shoulder. Following his gaze she suddenly had that earlier suspicion come back and settle in the pit of stomach.

Tom and Harry seemed to be arguing over where to place a bowl of salad with B'Elanna watching as she straightened a bowl of purple liquid. Seven and Naomi were caring a cake in from the kitchen to place at the end of the table while Neelix walked ahead of them with plates and utensils. The Doctor was standing near the food table with his arms crossed, a proud, self satisfied grin on his face as he simply watched the actions before him. But it was the officer who was lagging behind that really caught her attention.

Tuvok was the last to come out of the kitchen and was carrying an average sized, covered plate which he placed on the gift table, keeping the cover on unlike the other dishes which were now uncovered. She then recalled his statement from earlier in the kitchen; '_supervising over certain aspects of the menu'_…The words rang around her head for a moment and suddenly she found herself wondering just what was under that lid.

She wasn't going to find out right away though, judging by how Neelix was now bouncing towards her and Chakotay. "I was just about to call you, Commander." The talaxian stated happily and she just managed to refrain from laughing.

"So, the first of our guests should be arriving soon." Tom, who was suddenly by Neelix's side said rubbing his hands together. "They don't know what this party is for, only that it's a party, so you two should probably get ready for questions once they see the Baby Sign."

"Baby sign?" She asked with furrowed brows and a glance at the father-to-be.

"The 'congratulations' banner. Tom's designated it the 'Baby Sign'." Harry explained as he and B'Elanna appeared on the other side of the sofa.

"Ah, I see." She stated. She figured there was no point in asking why he decided to dub it that exact title.

"It's better then his first idea." B'Elanna stated, crossing her arms and glancing amusedly at the helmsman. "He wanted to make a big sign saying 'Welcome Mini Captain'. Then it was 'Happy Reproduction Day'."

"I threw that one out right after I suggested it though." Tom pointed out defensively. Janeway felt the corner of her mouth twitch up in amusement as B'Elanna just rolled her eyes.

"Looks like the first group is here." Harry suddenly observed, drawing all their attention to the doors just in time to see crewmen Gerron, Tal Celes, and Chell walking in, followed by various other crewmembers as they dribbled in as well.

Janeway was now very glad she had arrived early so she could see the looks on her crews faces the minute they spotted the sign. Some walked in casually while talking to each other, obviously not noticing the banner yet. Others, on the other hand, spotted the 'Baby Sign' right away and each had different reactions.

Tal Celes, for instance, stopped in her tracks, grabbed Gerron's sleeve and started smiling excitedly, practically bouncing on the spot. Meanwhile Gerron rolled his eyes at her reaction, tugged his arm away and walked off to the food table. Other members of the crew began murmuring to each other happily or just smiled while continuing on there way.

A couple of the crew smiled happily at the couple standing amid the rest of the senior staff, however most didn't seem to noticed the captain and commander since they were apparently too excited over just what this party was really celebrating.

Janeway preferred it that way for now. She knew full well that once the first batch of crew were gathered she and Chakotay would have plenty of attention focused on them. Once that initial announcement period had passed their focus would hopefully dwindle to conversation among themselves. Then as the different shifts rotated the party occupants would be switched one by one and the news would be passed between them until every crewman had attended this little get together and was fully aware of the facts.

Thankfully she and Chakotay weren't required to stay the entire time. They were the command team after all, and therefore had ship's business to take care of besides a baby shower. Neelix, however, had volunteered to stay the entire time to keep the food table well stocked and the crew happy. In addition, Tom and Harry planned on coming in and out until after the final shift. Of course, they had also somehow managed to talk B'Elanna and Sam Wildman into trading duty shifts so they could have tomorrow morning off.

"You ready for this, Kathryn?" Chakotay asked softly in a teasing tone, breaking her from her thoughts.

She smirked while watching her assembled crew mingle about the room, occasionally sneaking glances up at the expectant parents. "Might as well get it over with before I start needing a bigger uniform."

Chakotay laughed from just behind her and she felt his hand suddenly appear on her lower back. "We can make it quick. Then get some of that mushroom soup before it's gone."

She chuckled and looked up at him before making her way to the buffet table with Chakotay on her heels and the senior staff spreading out into the assembled crew to listen.

She glanced at Chakotay as he smiled encouragingly at her with an unmistakable hint of pride in his eyes. One quick announcement and they could get on with their lives, however complicated that may be for the next nine months. Turning her head to face those assembled she took a breath, squired her shoulders, and began to give her crew the confirmation they wanted.

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A/N: What do you think so far? The rest of the baby shower will be coming soon.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: Here's the second part of the baby shower!

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It had been nearly an hour since she and Chakotay had made their official announcement. The news was met with excitement and multiple congratulations from all those gathered. There really wasn't any shock or disbelief considering the crew had been discussing the rumors and possibilities for the past few days. It seemed they had already accepted the news on some level and had just been waiting for the command team to give their approval.

Now the party was in full swing. Crewmembers were coming and going, talking about what the future held and just overall having a good time. She was fully immersed in a conversation with B'Elanna and Sam when Neelix approached her from out of no where.

"Captain, it's time for gifts!" He told her happily with his customary grin and twinkling eyes.

She shook her head amusedly with a small smile before answering. "I still say gifts weren't necessary. The replicator rations could have been used on something more important."

"There were gifts at the baby shower the crew threw for me." Samantha pointed out, to which she rose an eyebrow and was about to explain how it wasn't the same, but didn't get the chance to utter a word.

"It's not like it's a lot considering the senior staff were the only people who knew what this party was really for anyways. Besides, if you and Chakotay keep being stubborn Tom has a plan to sneak them into your rooms while your both on duty." Janeway looked at the chief engineer as the woman informed her of the devious plan and she had no doubt that they would in fact do something like that.

Might as well just go along with it since apparently they were going to find a way to metaphorically cram these presents down her throat whether she liked it or not. "Alright, let's go, but after this Tom is restricted from making anymore 'plans'."

She blatantly ignored the triumphant smiles she received from B'Elanna and Sam and instead followed Neelix over to the lounge area. As they approached she noticed Tuvok was already standing at the end of a sofa with Harry, who was apparently attempting to engage the vulcan in conversation. From what she could tell it wasn't working.

The Doctor seemed quite comfortable sitting on one of the sofas with his legs crossed and holding his camera while Tom stood between the two sofas with a grin on his face as he watched them approach. Once she had reached the small lounge area she stopped and looked around for the expectant father.

Sure enough he was being dragged along by an obviously excited Naomi while Seven nonchalantly trailed behind them a few steps. As they got closer Chakotay looked up and met her eyes with a knowing look and she couldn't help but laugh softy as Naomi pulled the first officer past her, to the empty sofa, and then nudged him down into a sitting position. Janeway stood watching with a small smile and crossed arm, but she wasn't standing long.

Once Naomi had Chakotay sitting she watched as the little girl headed back towards her. Naomi looked at her with those big round eyes and toothily grin making her smile back while her heart melted. This kid really did have them all wrapped around her little finger and she suddenly wondered if her own son or daughter would have the same effect on the crew.

She didn't have long to ponder that thought, however. Naomi reached up for her hand and without a moments hesitation she uncrossed her arms and accepted the offered hand, allowing the small child to pull her over to the sofa so she could sit next to Chakotay, who inched his way closer once she was sitting.

Janeway glanced over at the first officer with a half smile as he slipped his hand into hers, giving it a gentle squeeze which she returned. Then, turning her attention back to the others in the room, she noticed the crewmembers who were milling about had moved just a bit closer together and were watching the proceedings with muted conversations, whispers, and smiles. Meanwhile, Neelix, Naomi, Harry, Tom, and B'Elanna were at the gift table separating the wrapped boxes and supposedly organizing them a bit more.

She watched suspiciously as Tuvok moved from his spot near the sofa, over to the table, slipped the mystery dish off said table and then casually brought it over to place on the coffee table between the two lounge sofas and directly in front of her and Chakotay.

She raised an eyebrow at the security chief who had yet to so much as glance in her direction. Instead he bent down to remove the lid just as the others were coming back over with gifts in their arms. She wasn't paying attention to those bearing presents, her entire focus was on her chief of security and that plate in front of her.

Slowly the cover was removed and she felt her eyes widen in surprise while a smile broke out across her face. Brownies. But not just any brownies. These were non-replicated double chocolate mocha brownies with homemade icing. Her absolute favorite.

Her mother used to make them every year for her birthday and here they were again, within arms reach. She knew they weren't actually her mother's brownies, but the smell brought back so many memories the taste wouldn't even matter.

She looked up, partially oblivious to everyone else around her, and met Tuvok's eyes as he stood watching her. He had his usual unemotional and uncaring look on his face, but she knew him too well. She could see it in his eyes that he did in fact care about her reaction.

Her vulcan friend had spent time and effort to help make this delicacy when he didn't have to and wasn't even expected to. And suddenly wanted to jump up and hug her long time friend, but she knew he probably wouldn't appreciate that as much as she would. So instead she smiled up at him, silently passing on her message of gratitude for such an unexpected gift which brought her such good memories and comfort. She knew he understood, he always did, and the almost imperceptive nod he gave her was confirmation of that fact.

"Mr. Tuvok said these were your favorite, Captain." Neelix stated from somewhere to her left.

She didn't look in his direction though. Instead she kept eye contact with Tuvok as she spoke. "Yes, they are." She answered with a small half smile before finally looking to her side where Neelix was offering the plate of brownies.

She almost reached out and just took the whole plate, but she had a feeling she was supposed to share with the others…or at least with Chakotay. So instead she took one of the dark, gooey brownies with an almost sadistic glee.

"Here, you have to try one of these." She told her first officer next to her, who was watching her amusedly. Neelix passed one to Chakotay before putting the plate back on the coffee table.

She looked on as Naomi and the others each got one as well, except for Seven and Tuvok who both remained standing in place with their hands behind their backs. "Tuvok, Seven, have one." She instructed the two crewmen.

"I would rather not." Seven stated as Neelix passed around napkins.

"Just have one, Seven. Trust me." She told the former borg who sighed, but accepted an offered brownie from Naomi. "Tuvok…" She didn't even need to finish the sentence. Tuvok obviously knew he wouldn't win, so he simply went ahead and took one as well.

She smirked, sharing a look with Chakotay, before bringing the decadent dessert to her mouth. Her eyes shut and her smirk melted into a small satisfied smile as the chocolate and mocha taste exploded in her mouth, overpowering her taste buds.

Okay, it wasn't as good as her mother's, but it was damn close. Leave it to Tuvok to give her a sentimental baby shower present that wasn't even technically a present. Once she was done savoring that first bite she opened her eyes to see the others in equal states of enjoyment over the treat. She looked to her side at Chakotay at the same time as he turned his head to look at her.

He chuckled lightly, his eyes crinkling at the corner in amusement, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him. Before she could ask just what he was laughing at, one of his hands came up towards her face, making her confusion grow by the second until one of his fingers swiped the corner of her lips. As he brought his hand back she saw the small spot of icing on his finger. The next thing she knew he was leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth where the icing had just been.

Normally she wouldn't approve of that sort of display, but considering they were at _their_ baby shower and off duty she figured she could let it pass. This time at least. Looking him in the eyes she knew he was well aware of that fact too.

"If you two are done grooming each other, we have presents here that need opening." The Doctor said with his usual sarcastic tone. She looked up and only then remembered the Doctor had his camera with him. It seemed he was taking full advantage of it too.

She glanced at the expectant father one last time before straightening up and finishing her brownie while her senior staff gathered around with gifts and smiles.

STSTSTSTST

Another hour and half passed before she and Chakotay finally excused themselves for the night. It had been a fun and relaxing party, but the command duo needed their rest for the next day. So, after spending nearly three hours eating until their stomach were beyond full, indulging on Tuvok's homemade brownies, opening presents, and mingling with crew they began gathering up gifts to depart.

B'Elanna and Harry helped them carry the presents, including the red and black command diapers from Neelix, the baby size command uniform from Harry, B'Elanna's toy engineer tool set, and Seven's multidimensional planetary system model. She didn't know what their baby would grow up to be, but it seemed the aunts and uncles were already planning his or her future if their gifts were any indication.

Once the gifts were safely in their quarters B'Elanna left to get some sleep while Harry headed back to the party, leaving her and Chakotay to finally have some peace and quite all to themselves.

* * *

A/N: So, how did you like their baby shower?


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: This chapter is short, but it's a needed transition chapter. The next few chapters are going to be spaced out through Janeway's pregnancy. Sort of like a series of connected oneshots. This particular chapter takes place just a couple days after the baby shower.

* * *

Janeway leaned her head back against the wall as she continued to laugh uncontrollably at her first officer who was sitting across the small table at Sandrine's and watching her with an amused look on his face.

"Okay, fine, then how about Aylen if it's a girl?" Chakotay suggested, pushing another breadstick onto her plate while he thought she was distracted.

"Alright, that one isn't too bad." She conceded, putting her feet down from the chair she was using as a foot stool and leaning her chair onto all fours instead of the two she'd been balancing on. "What does it mean?"

"Happiness." Her first officer answered casually with a small smile.

Janeway nodded, looking down at the mysterious breadstick that had supposedly transported itself onto her plate. "It's better then 'one who yawns'." She eventually stated with a soft chuckle. "Of course, there's always Owen for a boy."

"Owen? Like Admiral Owen Paris?" Chakotay asked with a raised eyebrow as he watched her take a bite of her pasta. "Can you imagine what Tom would say if we told him we were naming our child after his father?"

"You're probably right." She agreed, smiling amusedly at the thought. "It'd go straight to his head."

"Whose? Tom's or the Admiral's?" Chakotay grinned over at her while stirring what was left of his own pasta.

"Both." She said with a slight huff and rolling her eyes. "Luka?"

Chakotay looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "I like that one." He watched as she took another bite of pasta before doing the same. "Caden?"

She nodded in agreement once again before answering. "We'll add that one to the list of possible boy names."

"If it's a girl we could name her after your mother." He offered.

"We better be having twin girls then, so we can name one after my sister too. Otherwise she won't be too pleased." She answered with a chuckle.

"Never mind. I'd rather not have a Janeway woman mad at me. It can't be good for a person's health." Chakotay stated, earning a napkin in the face and a fake offended look from the woman sitting opposite him. "Unless of course you _are_ having twins. Do you think we're having twins." He asked seriously once he stopped laughing.

"Not that I know of." She answered, attempting to restrain herself from smiling at the look on his face, but the corners of her lips twitched upwards anyways. "We could find out though…" She began suggestively.

Chakotay raised an eyebrow at her with a half smile. "We wanted to be surprised, remember?"

She rolled her eyes at him and leaned back in her chair. "You're the one who asked if it was twins and the best way to find out would be to actually ask the person who could tell us. Besides, if we did find out we could be more prepared for…"

She was cut off mid sentence by the doors of Sandrine's opening, causing her to look up with a small half smile as she watched her operation officer fidget slightly. "Oh, sorry, Captain. Commander. I thought Tom had just left Sandrine's playing again."

"It's alright, Harry." She told the young man, giving Chakotay a pointed glare as he attempted to sneak another breadstick onto her plate. The first officer simply smiled abashedly at her for being caught. However, she also noted that he didn't take it back. She quirked an eyebrow at him before looking back up at Harry. "We were just leaving." With that she stood, stretching her back a bit, and gave Chakotay another pointed look when he remained sitting.

Chakotay, for his part, only looked curious for a moment and then a mischievous look began to fill his eyes as he finally stood and moved to her side. "Have fun, Harry. We'll see you at the staff meeting in the morning." He stated with a polite smile before following the captain as they moved towards the exist.

Once they were out of earshot Janeway placed a hand on her first officer's arm while still walking away. "I have about an hour before I promised Seven I'd go have a look at her newest astrology chart for this sector."

"Good. Plenty of time for that checkup the Doctor wanted." Chakotay stated seriously with a brief nod of his head.

Janeway stopped in the corridor, narrowing her eyes, and slapping him teasingly on the chest which just made him laugh and rub the spot dramatically. She then looked up at him with a smirk before starting to walk away towards their quarters. For a moment he simply grinned at her retreating form before striding quickly down the hall to catch up.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter will be coming soon! Who wants a marriage purposal?


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is related to Star Trek Voyager! I just play around with the characters.

A/N: Ready for that proposal? Well, here's the first part. The next chapter will be a bit of a continuation of this one. Janeway is approximately two months pregnant at this point.

* * *

She heard the doors swish close, the soft footsteps of someone trying to sneak in without making a noise, and the slight rustle of things moving about in the darkness of the other room. Janeway already knew who the midnight roamer was though, so still half asleep, she simply turned over onto her side to get more comfortable.

She was almost fully asleep, just about to slip over that dull line of semi-conscience and dream land, when the bed behind her dipped, letting her know the bed's other occupant had arrived. She unconsciously shifted over to allow the person more room and pulled the blanket closer for warmth.

However, within a few seconds she had all the warmth she could possible need even without the blanket. A large arm slipped under the covers and wrapped itself around her waist. It was followed by a broad chest pressed up against her back and two equally large legs tangling themselves with her own legs.

It almost felt as if she was being cocooned by another human body, limbs meshed together and pressed tightly until there was little room for anything else to come between them. And even in her barely coherent state she knew without a doubt who the other person was. It was a good thing she recognized him too because other wise the owner of those limbs would be on the floor with a phaser pointed at their head for sneaking into her bed.

She was just about asleep when the arm wrapped around her squeezed her gently before retreating, leaving the spot where it had once been feeling oddly cold and bare. A soft groan of displeasure escaped her lips as she buried her head deeper into the pillow in an attempt to regain the warmth.

She vaguely felt fingers gently pushing some hair behind her ear before combing through the strands almost reverently. A feather light kiss was dropped on the curve of her neck and shoulder and then the warm arm was back in it's spot, only this time the hand attached sought out her left hand, engulfing it as well.

"Kathryn?" A deep rumbling voice said from just behind her as if trying to gain her attention. In her dozing state it sounded much farther away then it actually was though.

"Hmm…" She was just so tired the acknowledgment slipped out even as she slowly began to drift off.

"Will you marry me?" Once again the question seemed far away, detached and dreamlike and she barely even registered the meaning.

"Yes." The answer was instinctual, as if it were the easiest answer to the easiest question ever asked.

A rush of hot air blew passed her ear like someone had released a breath they had been holding. "Thank you." The simple, whispered statement was filled with so much joy, relief, and love it cut right through her daze and echoed in her mind with perfect clarity.

Within a few seconds her eyes popped open and she was suddenly wide awake. Had what she thought just happened really just happened? Sitting up slightly, she turned in the embrace she found herself in and peered down at the man currently sleeping besides her.

Chakotay lay there, dozing off as she had once been, and snuggled close to her. She was stunned at what he had just done and it probably showed as she stared at him. Hundreds of thoughts whirled around her head about the implications and what would happen now. However, when she noticed the small, contented smile on his face even as he slept peacefully, her own small smile began to form and erase the look of stunned confusion.

As she lay back down, with his arm still wrapped securely around her, the worry and questions temporarily melted away. All that mattered at that moment was the warm comfort her first officer was offering…her _fiancé_ was offering.

* * *

A/N: Don't forget to review!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: This chapter takes place the morning after Chakotay's proposal. It's short, but I wanted to get any doubts out of the way before moving on.

* * *

"Chakotay, just who do you think is going to do a marriage service around here?" Janeway skeptically asked her fiancé.

Just a few hours ago the man currently getting them coffee out of the replictor had sneaked in and proposed. Now, however, she was fully awake and wondering just what her first officer was thinking. "As captain, I can perform a service and marry two people, but considering I'd be the one getting married…"

Her question was met with a soft chuckle as Chakotay brought over the two cups of coffee with a calm, but still obviously enthusiastic aura about him. "It doesn't have to be official. Just something small for us and our _Voyager_ family. Then eventually, when we're back in the alpha quadrant, we'll have a normal wedding."

She sipped her coffee for a second with a thoughtful look as she gazed at her fiancé. There really was no reason _not_ to. After all they were already together, the crew had been well aware of that fact for months now, and it hadn't really changed any of the dynamics on board. She highly doubted saying they were married would change much either considering the two of them might as well already be married as far as anyone was concerned. Of course, on the other hand, she didn't exactly have the best record as far as fiancés went.

"Besides, why should Tom and B'Elanna get to be the only married couple on board?" He asked teasingly with a grin, breaking her out of her contemplative thoughts. "If you don't want to right now it's okay." He continued after a few seconds with an understanding tone of voice.

She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off before she even got a word out. "It'd also be good for crew moral though." Chakotay added with that same teasing grin, making her roll her eyes. He always brought up crew moral when trying to convince her to do something and they were both well aware of his little trick.

"I suppose a small ceremony on the holodeck wouldn't be too bad." She stated, sipping her coffee before glancing up at him with a smirk while he smiled back at her happily.

* * *

A/N: There will be a wedding chapter, but it wont be right away.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek Voyager.

A/N: Sorry about the delay in posting! Here's the next chapter. It's somewhat of a lead in to future chapters.

* * *

_Why was it so damn cold! _

Her feet felt like they'd been stuck into ice water for the last hour. And as if that wasn't enough she had a massive headache that only got worse each time she had to run to the bathroom to throw up. She was over three months pregnant, so shouldn't the morning sickness have ended by now!

She'd have a talk with the Doctor about getting a hypo or something, but it was going to have to wait. These security reports about the shield updates needed her attention more at the moment and they would most likely take her another hour at least to properly go over.

However much she disliked this kind of monotonous work, she had to admit she'd rather tackle it then deal with smugglers like last week. The space miscreants had, fortunately, been more annoying then dangerous, but the damage they did manage to do to the shields were definitely something she'd like to avoid in the future.

She'd also prefer to avoid another lecture from the Doctor like the one she'd gotten afterwards. When the smugglers had first fired on the ship she had been standing by Operations and the force of the impact from the weapons fire had shook the ship enough to send many of the crew flying through the air…including her.

She hadn't even thought twice about being thrown forward onto the ground. She was used to picking herself up off the floor by then. It was only later, once the threat was neutralized, that she really thought about what happened. And apparently she wasn't the only one. Someone, she still wasn't sure who yet, had told the Doctor about her little meeting with floor and he had then insisted she be scanned to insure that the baby wasn't harmed on the impact.

While she half-listened to his lecture she remembered just what could have happened if she'd been further along in her pregnancy. Luckily the baby hadn't been harmed. At least not this time. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about temporarily forgetting her pregnant state and therefore not seeking the Doctor out immediately after the battle was won.

However, she also knew those types of risks were going to be following her around and there was very little she could do about it. Every member of this crew was in danger during any confrontation. As Captain it was her job to watch out for them, but now she would have to remember to watch out for one more person as well even if that person wasn't even born yet.

If the incident with the smugglers proved anything it was that her crew was looking out for the command team's baby as well. The thought was somewhat comforting, but also slightly unnerving. Since when was it the crew's job to keep an eye on their captain to make sure she didn't trip? Then again, since when does a starship captain get pregnant thousands of light-years away from the nearest Federation planet?

She could just imagine what Starfleet would say if they were here now. A pregnant captain who was engaged to her fist officer, a first officer who was a former Maquis terrorist, a couple other Maquis senior officers, a former prison inmate flying the ship, a former borg drone and borg children, a holographic doctor as the chief physician, and a random Delta Quadrant alien thrown in just for fun. Nothing about this ship was normal!

If she tired to explain it to a board of admirals who weren't aware of the situation she'd probably be deemed insane and locked away for everyone's own safety. The looks of shock and confusion that she knew would be on their faces might be worth the condescending remarks though.

'_Buzz'…_

Well, it seemed she had a visitor to distract her from her wondering thoughts and dull security reports. She bid them entrance and sat back in her desk chair just in time to see Tuvok walking in. Hopefully he wasn't here to add another report to the ever growing pile. "Tuvok, what can I do for you?"

"I have revised and condensed my initial shield reports." He stated in his usual nonchalant tone while handing her another data padd. She quirked an eyebrow at him suspiciously before looking down at the padd.

Yep, it was condensed, but still gave all the necessary information she would need for the logs. This must be part of the 'protect the Captain at all costs and from every threat' attitude. Next thing she knew he or one of the other senior officers would be ordering a twenty-four hour security escort to 'protect' her from hang-nails and splinters. No, actually it would probably only be twenty hours. After all, Chakotay could watch her like a hawk during the few hours of sleep she got.

"Thank you, Tuvok." She told him in her 'captain's voice'. She did in fact appreciate the thought, and it did make her job easier, but the signs of hovering he and the crew were showing didn't bode well for her. By the end of the nine months she'd probably be ready to lock them all in the brig, which would certainly be another surprise for Starfleet if they got home and half her crew were in a cell or barricaded in their quarters.

She watched him nod in response and turn to leave, but then a question inched it's way into her mind. "Tuvok…" she began, getting him to stop and turn back in her direction again. "What's the status of the pool?"

Normally that would be an odd question to ask the security officer, but she was sure he understood what she meant. Judging by how his hands went behind his back and he glanced away as if restraining a despondent sigh, it could be safely assumed that she was correct.

"I believe the latest odds were tied with one boy vs. one girl, however more bets are still going into the 'pool' and Mr. Paris is under the impression that more crewmembers will be betting on the child being a boy." The vulcan security officer informed her casually as if having a normal conversation about the ships energy status.

"Hmm...interesting." She said thoughtfully. For a few days there it seemed the crew was expecting her to have twins. She had taken several looks at a mirror in an attempt to figure out what they were seeing that she had supposedly been missing. "And what about you? What do you think it will be?"

"It would be a waste of time and resources to attempt a guess at something that we will know for sure in a few months time." His answer was far too rehearsed and expected for her liking. She raised an eyebrow at him knowingly and waited. Sure enough after a brief pause he decided to continue. "However, my hypothesis of the situation is that the child will be female."

The corners of her lips twitched upwards in a faint smirk as she nodded slightly. She would ask _why_ he thought it'd be a girl, but he'd probably just give her a technical explanation of genetics and biology. Of course she could also ask if he had any wagers in the betting pool and how much, but she decided to spare him from having to answer. Besides, she could always find out later without him knowing.

"Alright, thank you for your analysis." She told him, picking up the data padd from her desk as if that was what she was referring to, even though they both knew it wasn't.

"Of course, Captain." He answered simply before retreating out of her ready room and to the safety of his station.

She smiled slightly for moment before sitting forward to begin reading Tuvok's new report. She could find out more about the betting pool, contemplate how to handle the crew's protectiveness, and imagine Starfleet's reaction to all of this later. Right now she just needed work on this report and hopefully have it finished before the baby actually arrived.

* * *

A/N: What do you all think the baby will be? Boy, girl, twins?


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: Alright, we've delivered the news, had a baby shower, discussed names, and had a proposal. Now, after this chapter, the command team will begin to have their 'ups and downs' complete with alien threats and some more crew friendly times. But first, there's something that needs to be taken care of…

* * *

Kathryn Janeway stood outside the Fair Haven chapel adjusting her dress uniform one last time. The damn thing was just a bit too tight around her slightly protruding middle. At four months the baby bump was barely noticeable, especially to other people, but she was personally still well aware that it was there and apparently her dress uniform was aware of it too.

Taking a deep breath she looked around at the quite little holographic town. She spotted Seamus entering the bar across the street and smirked as she remembered how, once they had started dating, Chakotay had talked her into permanently storing the character of Michael Sullivan away in the computer so he was never heard from again. She'd accused him of being jealous. He hadn't disagreed.

"I believe it is time, Captain." Her long time friend and usher stated from behind her. She turned to face the vulcan and gave him a half smile.

"Let's get going then, Tuvok." She stated, placing her hand on his arm in the traditional escorting manner.

As she and Tuvok entered the small foyer a grinning Naomi handed her a bouquet of red and yellow holographic roses. She smiled back, patting the small girl on the shoulder, and then watched as she half skipped her way into the main chapel to take her seat next to her mother.

Music began drifting through the building indicating it was indeed time to begin and, with one final glance at her security officer, she started walking into the chapel with Tuvok walking her down the isle.

Once through the doors she took a moment to look around. B'Elanna was standing up next to Chakotay as best man, or in this case best woman, while Tom stood on his other side. Chakotay for his part looked as handsome as ever in his own dress uniform and a broad grin across his face. His joy was contagious it seemed, because once they're eyes met a grin spread across her face as well.

Many of the crew were standing in the pews, including Harry, Seven, and Neelix who were stationed in the front row. Everyone was smiling happily and she was suddenly glad they had decided on doing this with their _Voyager_ family.

Finally they reached the make shift alter and she released Tuvok's arm. However, the vulcan didn't immediately move as she was expecting. Instead he turned towards her and raised his hand in the Vulcan solute. He didn't need to say the words that usually accompanied the gesture, he simply gave her a knowing look which she returned with a small smirk of her own before he moved off to the side with his hands behind his back.

As she turned to face Chakotay she noticed he was watching her with an adoring smile. Their eyes met, silently telling each other what both already knew and showing all those gathered the love that existed between them. She stepped forward, taking his hand and returning the reassuring squeeze.

Once they were in place, the 'priest' who would be performing the ceremony stepped up to stand in front of them with a smug smile. "Let me just begin by saying that I am honored the Captain and Commander had the good taste to ask me to perform this service…." The Doctor, who was dressed in his priest costume, began.

She had a feeling this was going to start a long speech of some sort if he wasn't stopped soon. So she rose a single eyebrow at him with a pointed look which he seemed to understand immediately judging by how he cleared his throat and finally began the actual ceremony that would, even if technically unofficial, make Chakotay and herself a married couple.

STSTSTSTST

The service proceeded without any problems, unless of course you counted the Doctor's occasional and unnecessary comments, but eventually the ceremony ended. Just before the newly wed couple were about to exist the small chapel Janeway stopped and, without turning, threw the bouquet over her head.

The laughter that ensued peeked their curiosity so with a shared glance, she and Chakotay looked over their shoulders just in time to see the Doctor staring down at the bouquet in his hands then glance just briefly up at a nonchalant Seven who stood next to him.

Janeway smirked at the scene amusedly before releasing Chakotay's hand and taking his offered arm instead. Together they left the chapel and were followed out of the holodeck with cheers, applause and rice flying through the air.

Still arm in arm, she and Chakotay slowly made there way to the mess hall were the reception was set up. However, it was taking longer then it normally would due to the numerous 'congratulations' they received by passing crewmen. As they got closer to their destination the well wishers thinned out, probably because the rest were already in the mess hall waiting.

"Just think, Kathryn. Only two more hours and we'll be alone at a secluded bed and breakfast in Tuscany." Chakotay stated, leaning in closer to her ear.

"Two hours? I was only planning on one hour." She told him, only half joking. She had no doubt the crew could survive a party without them actually present.

Chakotay laughed, giving her one of his dimpled grins before responding. "I was rounding up since the Doctor _and_ Neelix plan on giving a speech."

"Hmm, true. We probably won't be able to make our escape without them noticing either." She nodded thoughtfully and silently contemplated all the exist routes they could take even as Chakotay chuckled and kissed her temple.

Well, she supposed she could live through two hours of speeches and hand shakes considering what she had to look forward to afterwards. Once she and Chakotay left the reception they planned on making a quick stop at their quarters to pick up the bag of clothes that was already packed and then heading to the holodeck.

The command team couldn't actually leave the ship like Tom and B'Elanna had for their honeymoon, but since there were no immanent threats to worry about they had decided to take two days off which, thanks to the crew readily agreeing, were going to be spent in holographic Tuscany.

She had a feeling this brief break from ship duties was going to be needed in face of the coming months as her pregnancy got further along. Therefore she and Chakotay planned on enjoying the solitude and relaxation as long as they possibly could. With their luck, the next few months might just turn out to be the most chaotic they had faced so far.

* * *

A/N: I know, it's kind of short, but what did you think?


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: Remember how I said there would be 'ups and downs'? Well, this will definitely be a 'down'. At this point Janeway is 19 weeks pregnant, so almost five months.

* * *

White hot pain shot through her body like a lightening bolt, tearing through muscles and singeing her very veins. Her right hand felt almost numb now as she gradually regained consciousness. Slowly she forced her heavy eyelids open, trying to clear her mind even through the throbbing pain. She had to concentrate, had to figure out what was going on and why her entire body felt as if it were on fire.

Using her left hand, the only one that was still useful, she pushed herself up off the hard, gritty floor trying to ignore the protests of her aching limbs.

_Pain was but a matter of the mind. It had no control over her_…

She repeated the mantra in her head over and over. A Vulcan master had once told her about the practice and later Tuvok had explained it to her in depth. It was similar to her own way of thinking: _Ignore the pain till you get the hell out of danger._

That's exactly what she was going to have to do now. And this time it wasn't just for her, it was also for the unborn infant still nestled inside her. She could not and would not allow anyone to hurt her crew, let alone her own baby.

She scooted herself up against the nearest stone wall, wincing as the rough rock dug into her sore back. As the fog in her head began to clear she looked around and took in her surroundings.

The cell was no bigger then her ready room. A single door made of some sort of dark greenish metal seemed to be the only exist. There were no windows or air ducts, just stone and dirt…and dried blood. The air was thin and musky leading her to believe the oxygen levels on the planet were at the bare minimum for human survival.

_The planet_…

That's right, now she remembered. There was a shuttle crash. She, Harry, and Tom were attacked by a group of non-humanoid locals and were eventually separated while running through the dense woods. She was caught in some sort of restraining beam and the attackers then transported her here. Wherever here was.

Things were still a bit foggy after that. She remembered being taken to a dark room with several armed guards. Two other men asked her questions like 'who was she', 'where'd she come from', and of course the 'how do I take over your ship without getting killed'. Okay, that wasn't the exact wording, but she'd been through enough interrogations to know what they really meant.

When she hadn't answered the way they wanted they had knocked her around a bit. Thankfully they avoided her protruding stomach and concentrated on her arms, legs and face. She most likely had a head injury which explained her blurry thoughts and throbbing temples.

She did however clearly remember how they broke each of her fingers one by one and then began to work on the rest of her hand and wrist. Afterwards she was nice enough not to spit in their faces, however she did stop trying to negotiate with them.

She had attempted to find out if they had her two crewmembers, but her captors had refused to answer and chose to laugh in her face instead. She wasn't sure if she should be comforted by not having seen Harry and Tom or concerned.

She also wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious, but she did know Chakotay and the others well enough to know they'd probably have figured out something had gone wrong with the away team by now and were searching for them. She had no doubt they would do everything they could, but as the metallic door creaked open and her captors entered, she briefly wondered if any escape plan would be in time.

"Captain, I think it's time we finished our discussion."

STSTSTST

"What do you mean you don't know where she is?" Chakotay asked disbelievingly with an edge of anger in his usually calm voice.

"I told you, we got separated!" Tom explained with an equal amount of anger. "We were running through the forest. It was dark and we must have turned the wrong way. The next thing I knew Harry and I were falling over a cliff. When I woke up I was here."

Chakotay ran a hand through his hair and started pacing at the foot of Tom's biobed. "You were supposed to keep an eye on her." He hissed, continuing to walk anxiously back and forth.

"I know." Tom whispered softly, avoiding looking at Chakotay as the first officer stopped pacing with furrowed brows and hands on his hips.

"Gentlemen, if you could stop yelling for five minutes, I have an update on Mr. Kim's condition." The Doctor stated, coming up to the other side of Tom's bed. "I finished healing his head and leg. He'll be swore for a few days, but like Mr. Paris, he'll make a full recovery. Thanks, of course, to my quick response."

"How long till he wakes up?" Tom asked, still avoiding looking at the commander.

"Probably not for a few hours at least. His head wound was substantially worse then yours. I was able to fix the damage, but he'll be unconscious for awhile longer while his body finishes mending." The Doctor explained, glancing briefly at Chakotay who was looking away at a far wall with a distant look in his eyes that was laced with a multitude of concerns and other emotions.

"Commander." The Doctor continued softly, getting the other man's attention, if only briefly. "I'm sure the Captain, wherever she is, will be alright. She always seems to find some way out this type of situation."

"She's not usually five months pregnant." Chakotay muttered, not meeting their eyes, before stalking out of sick bay.

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A/N: So, what do you think? The site wasn't working for me for a couple of days, so I apologize if I missed any reviews from the last chapter. In case I did, thank you for reviewing!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek Voyager! I just play around with various characters.

A/N: Just so you all know, this story arc will most likely be the only chapters to contain anything other then Janeway POV. Also, as a warning, this chapter does contain a brief torture scene, but it's not very descriptive or in depth.

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Captain Janeway gritted her teeth, jaw clenching as one of her captors circled the two large polls she was chained to. "We've been through this, L'ketar…" She began calmly, but with a hard edge to her voice. "I can't help you."

"You're the Captain! You have every corner of your ship memorized. You know how to get on board and off without drawing attention. You know the weapons and coding and have full access to the computers." Her captor exclaimed angrily. "I won't allow you to say you 'can't' help!"

Janeway's stone cold, perfectly impassive expression never faltered. She stared ahead, not saying a word. The time for words had long since passed and both she and her captors knew that. She just had to stay alive long enough to make her escape.

She'd been lucky so far, the Mykantens had still avoided her stomach, that didn't stop them from targeting other body parts though. She could still bleed out, get an infection, fall down one too many times...she made a list in her head, hoping it would help her avoid anything that would harm the baby, but the list just seemed to keep going.

"Captain!" The second interrogator grabbed her face with one of his clawed hands, forcing her to look at his bright red eyes. "Pay attention and answer the questions!" She looked him dead in the eyes, a glare that would send some Starfleet cadets running home, but her captor didn't flinch. Instead he growled, his breath ruffling the dark fur around his flat nose, and pushed her head to the side before straightening up and signaling one of the guards standing behind her.

She braced herself for the impact of the whip like object she knew was coming. Sure enough the ends sliced through the back of her uniform again, sending a stinging pain up and down her spine. She bent her head for a moment in an almost instinctive attempt to shield her child. Her hands were chained to a post on either side of her while her legs bent underneath her had long since gone numb. She had no way of protecting her slightly protruding stomach, leaving her with a feeling of vulnerability and openness that she didn't like at all.

She sucked in a deep breath, her lungs hitching at the pressure just as the wimp proceeded to descend onto her back. She looked up, trying to regain her indifferent composure and decided to focus on something other the whip. Staring ahead at the wall, she began categorizing the species. After all, the more she knew about her opponent the easier it may be to find a weakness and therefore a way out.

The Mykantens weren't the cruelest species she'd encountered, they didn't aim for her baby bump at least, but they certainly weren't the most compassionate either. In fact, while they didn't right out seek to harm the baby, they did threaten it upon occasion and she had a feeling that they would kill both her and her baby if they felt it necessary.

Their physical form was…interesting. They resembled extra large panthers who walked on two legs. Their heads were shaped like a human's, but they had extremely pointed ears at least five inches long and covered in a thin layer of black fur like the rest of their bodies, or at least the parts of their body that weren't covered in clothing. Each hand had a set of attached claws that looked as if they could rip right through tender human flesh. Their teethe were dull, but then again, with claws like theirs they didn't really need fangs did they?

They were pretty well developed, not as advanced as _Voyager_, but still advanced enough to understand computers and space travel. They also seemed…_damn_! That last hit of the whip seemed to dig right into her shoulder. It was becoming harder to concentrate too. The wall in front of her swam in and out of focus while the captors' voices seemed to get farther away.

She looked down at her abdomen, trying to imagine what her baby girl or baby boy would look like. Would they have Chakotay's eyes? His soft-heartedness or her stubborn streak? Would their baby even survive long enough for her to find out?

She needed to get out…she _had_ to get out. Even if she didn't make it, she had to know the baby would be alright. She was becoming more and more disorientated as the seconds ticked by and was slowly losing consciousness. But, even through the dim curtain of coherent thought, she knew that as soon as the chance of escape arrived she'd be taking. If that meant hopping out of this damn prison on one foot then so be it!

STSTSTSTST

"There's a force field around the entire complex." B'Elanna stated, pacing around the briefing room table with her arms crossed. "We can't even be sure the Captain's there because the sensors won't penetrate."

"Where else could she be?" Neelix asked worriedly, glancing around the table at the room's other occupants. "We've been around the entire planet twice already and this is the only place that has even a hint of living people."

"It is a rather small area. It's doubtful this is their entire society." Tuvok interjected, folding his hands on the table.

"So what, Tuvok, you think they took her to another planet or wherever the rest of their population is?" Chakotay asked, standing from his chair and walking towards the window to look out at the greenish blue planet below.

"No." The vulcan answered briefly before continuing. "Logic would suggest the Captain is still on the surface, however we do not know anything about this race. They could have space travel technology and if so they could call for reinforcements."

"In other words, watch out for visitors." The Doctor stated from his spot between Neelix and Tom.

"The shields are weakest at the eastern edge, near the rocky cliffs." Tom said, looking down at the padd in his hands with a look of deep concentration. "I can position the ship directly above the weakest spot."

"And then what, Paris?" Chakotay asked agitatedly as he turned from the window. "You heard B'Elanna, we can't penetrate their shields."

"Perhaps not…" Seven began, gaining everyone's attention. "We can, however, send an electrical discharge directly to the weak area."

Chakotay glanced at B'Elanna for confirmation as the engineer finally came to a stop. "She's right." B'Elanna stated, nodding slightly. "An electrical impulse from the phasers might be enough to throw off the field for twenty or thirty seconds. We'd have to transfer a lot of power to the phaser banks and our own shields would be weakened, but it might work."

"What good would twenty or thirty seconds do?" Tom asked, with a scoff. "We won't be able to locate the Captain and beam her out that quickly."

"We wouldn't be able to beam anyone out or in anyways." B'Elanna told them and started walking around the table again. "The most we'd be capable of is doing a bit of damage to some buildings, maybe disrupt their systems, but we wouldn't actually be able to send a person in or take one out."

Chakotay sighed and ran a hand over he face as he slumped down in a chair. "We can't just leave her down there."

"I highly doubt anyone on this ship would suggest that, Commander." Tuvok stated matter-of-factly. "Though it may be best to stop trying to figure out how to get the Captain out of the containment field itself."

"Explain." Seven stated, arching an eyebrow.

Once again B'Elanna stopped walking and turned towards the vulcan. "A decoy."

"Precisely." Tuvok confirmed, with a slight nod in her direction. "If we disrupt the shield, even for a few seconds, it should cause a sufficient distraction for the Captain to make her escape. The shielded area is not that large and once she exists that area we can beam her to the ship."

"She could be injured." Chakotay reminded them, he paled slightly at the thought and had to pause for a second before continuing. "We couldn't be sure she's in any condition to make an escape, let alone get out of the area without interference."

"I have known the Captain for many years. I have found that, when the situation calls for it, she can be quite…determined. Very little will stop her once she has a goal and I highly doubt she would not take a chance to escape even if she was being mulled by a carnivorous animal." Tuvok argued, gaining a few small smiles of agreement from those gathered. "Also, there is very little else we can do at the moment and the longer we wait, the more likely it is that the Captain will be harmed."

"He has a point." Tom muttered, glancing briefly at the worry filled first officer.

"Alright, then it's settled." Chakotay said after only a seconds hesitation. "Doctor, can Harry be released from sick bay?"

"Well, I might as well let him go since Mr. Paris managed to sneak out as well. I don't suggest you send either of them on anymore away missions for a week or so though." The Doctor answered, sending a brief warning glare to the helmsman.

"Good. Have him report to the bridge. We need to get started as soon as possible." Chakotay told them as they all got up to leave. He stood as well and watched them head out as each went to their separate posts.

"Hey." The engineer's voice surprised him slightly, but he turned to face her. "She's going to be okay. They're both going to be okay."

"Yeah." He couldn't get anymore of response out then that, which B'Elanna seemed to understand. She gave a brief nod before walking past him and out of the room. With one more glance at the planet below he began to make his way to the bridge as well, all the while worry and fear eating away at him. As he took his usual seat on the bridge he swore one thing; when this was all over he would find a way to make sure Kathryn didn't go on another research trip or anything else that would cause her to step a single foot off this ship!

* * *

A/N: What did you think? Next chapter coming soon!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Everyone knows this, but I don't own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: Figured I'd go ahead and post the next chapter early. This story arc is almost over and then we'll be back to the more light hearted and humor filled chapters for awhile.

* * *

She could feel a subtle vibration in the stone walls and floor of her cell. It had begun just a few seconds ago and at first she thought it was just a generator of some sort, but now, as she heard footsteps running outside the door she knew that wasn't what it was. It was her crew. She knew that in her gut and she also knew this could possibly be the only chance she'd have.

She pushed herself up, wincing at the pain as her body protested the movement, but ignored those angry protests screaming inside her head and made her way to the only exist. She'd been through the cell multiple times already and knew for a fact that the metallic like door was the only way out. If she could just get through the door she might be able to…

"_Get this door open._"

She heard one of her captors, L'ketar by the sound of it, ordering the guards outside her cell. Next was the sound of rustling and then the familiar scrapping of a lock being opened. She stepped to the side and stood with her back pressed up against the wall right next to the door. Within seconds the heavy door began to swing open.

Two guards hurried into the room, obviously not yet noticing her against the wall. She waited just a second and as soon as L'ketar appeared in the door way she lunged towards him.

He must have noticed her out of the corner of eye because he jumped back, ears flattening against his head, but he wasn't quick enough. She dashed behind him, her right arm fastening around his neck as tightly as her injured shoulder would allow. In one quick movement she spun them both around so her back was against the open door, his large, fur covered body shielding her baby bump from any wayward weapon fire.

He fought against the crushing pressure on his throat, but when she held up the rectangular weapon she had snatched from his belt he oddly enough stopped squirming and retracted his sharp claws from her arm.

With a quick glance behind her to confirm no other guards, she began to slowly back out of the cell while keeping the weapon pointed directly at the two men still inside. "Just where do you expect to go to, Captain?" She heard L'ketar ask, as she drug him back with her. "You're shuttle was destroyed and your two crewmen took a dive off a cliff. You're all alone here."

_Dive off a cliff…_

No. That couldn't be right. He was probably just messing around with her head, trying to demoralize or distract her. Then again, she hadn't seen either one of them for the past couple days…

No! She would not let him do this to her. She pushed down the doubts and fears, ignored the acidic taste in her mouth and mentally told the pain that was currently ricocheting through her body to leave her the hell alone. She would get out of here, she would find Tom and Harry, and she would get them all back to _Voyager_ in one piece. She_ had_ to.

Shaking her head just a bit to clear away the thick fog left from her concussion, she took the final step out of the cell and into the hallway. She could hear shots and the pounding of boots against rocks in the distance and knew she most likely didn't have much time. L'ketar would only slow her down, possibly even draw unwanted attention.

So, moving the weapon to his back, she gave him one solid shove. His claws dug into her arm, tearing through the flesh from her elbow down to her fingertips, but he still fell forward into the cell. She moved as fast as she could manage in her present state, taking a hold of the door and pulling it closed with a snap.

Feeling something swiping her bare foot she glanced down while locking the cell door. Apparently the 'snap' hadn't been the door. She had caught L'ketar's tail in the door. That might explain the growling noise from inside the small room. Strangely enough she didn't feel guilty one bit.

Looking around she noted that there was only one way to go since there was a dead end to her left. So she started moving down the hallway, weapon held tightly in her good hand.

She turned a corner, right, left, left, right…the stone hallways just seemed to keep going. She hadn't actually seen any of this when being transported back forth from her cell and interrogation room. When she wasn't unconscious she was blindfolded and therefore unable to see. Fortunately her hearing was still functioning perfectly.

She could hear what sounded like swirling wind up ahead, along with yelling that was growing louder as she progressed. The shouting must be coming from the courtyard outside, most likely because of something her crew had done. It would also explain why there was no one walking the halls except her. They were apparently otherwise distracted.

Finally she turned another corner and could make out light through a rocky opening. A single guard stood peering outside. She wasn't exactly sure what kind of weapon she had, but wasn't about to engage the large mass of fur and claws in hand to hand combat when she did at least have a weapon. So, without much hesitation, she pressed the trigger on top and watched as a pulse of what looked like red lightening charged out of the small weapon and shot right towards the guard, sending his body to the ground. She then suddenly realized just what it was L'ketar had struck her in the ribs with yesterday during one of their 'conversations'. She just hoped like hell that the pulse hadn't harmed the baby.

Now wasn't the time to dwell on that though. She had to get out of this prison, so she carefully moved forward, avoiding the twitching Mykanten guard on the floor. She peered out the door, noting the various Mykantens running around from building to building and also noticing the red lights stretching across the doorway of the prison.

Judging by color and consistency she'd guess the field was the same as the weapon's discharge. If she sent a blast of the energy source to the control panel it should render it inoperative. She stood back and fired at the panel by the doorway twice before the red barrier disappeared. Then with one more quick glance outside, she slid out of the cave like prison and ducked behind a large crate off to the side.

She didn't see any of her crew, however several Mykantens were gathered around a tall beam stationed near the largest of the buildings. Many more were running in and out of the building while armed soldiers paroled the tree barrier. Or maybe it wasn't the trees that were really a barrier.

She'd seen beams like that one before, they usually generated force fields or supplied power to something much bigger. That must be what was wrong. Voyager probably found a way to disrupt the power supply and the Mykantens were now attempting to fix it.

_A distraction_.

They were giving her a distraction so she could escape. There was just one problem. There were still guards roaming the edge of the forest and too many for her to take on without risk of capture.

Apparently the crew was going to take care of that for her though. As she was mentally formulating a plan, there was a phaser blast that struck the power beam, sending a surge of power that sent at least three of the Mykantens flying backwards.

The yells of pain and curses caught the guards attention and she watched as they all ran over to see what the trouble was. Perfect. Now she had a path into the wooded area where she'd hopefully be able to get away.

STSTSTSTST

"Anything?" Chakotay asked while looking over Tom's shoulder.

"No, sir." Harry answered from Ops, glancing up disappointedly. "No sign of her yet."

"We can send another surge." B'Elanna suggested, walking from her post over to the center of the bridge. "It'll disrupt their systems some more. We still won't be able to beam her out, but it's something."

Chakotay walked the length of the central bridge, a dark cloud following him and adding tension to the already anxious atmosphere. "Go ahead." He nodded at B'Elanna who eagerly went back to her station.

"Our shields our currently down to less then 40 percent, Commander. Sending another surge will deplete them further." Tuvok stated, watching Chakotay grip the railing near his chair while staring at the Captain's chair with furrowed brows.

"We don't have many choices here, Tuvok." He replied evenly, but no one missed the edge that was still lacing his voice as it had been for the past two days. "Just do it and try to compensate."

Tuvok gave a curt nod, not disagreeing with the choice, and went back to his monitor. Chakotay looked around the bridge, seeing B'Elanna and Seven working intently, along with Harry doing the same at his own station, and Tom staring ahead at the view screen.

They all knew what was at stake here. They were breaking at least a dozen rules, were causing havoc to their shields and power supply, and weren't even sure what type of people they were dealing with. But no one would ever complain, not a single person would even contemplate disagreeing, not with the Captain's life on the line. And this time it wasn't just the Captain, this time the Captain's baby was in the mix…_their _baby.

STSTSTSTST

Her legs were sore and growing stiffer by the second. Each time a foot came down to the ground it felt like needles were piercing her skin. She kept running though and she would keep running for as long it took to escape her pursuers.

As she had made her break for the woods, one of the guards had spotted her which lead to the chase now going on. She tried to keep an eye out for a shuttle, _Voyager_ crew, anything to indicate a means of escape, but so far there was nothing. Her comm badge had been confiscated so there was no way for her to contact the ship either.

Her only option was to keep running and try to avoid being re-captured. Her heavy feet, throbbing skull, and aching limbs were making it difficult though. Maybe she could find somewhere to temporally hide.

She was going to have to find somewhere fast though. She could hear their muffled voices getting closer, their boots snapping twigs as they closely followed behind her. It was her survival instincts and her determination that kept her running, but that wouldn't last long at this rate.

Glancing around she spotted a large bush growing from the root of a tree. That would have to do. Skidding to halt she knelt down and began pulling some of the bush away. The thorny twigs scratched her hands, but the sounds of the guards getting closer encouraged her to continue.

After only a few seconds she had enough moved that she could slide behind the bush and sit in a small ditch at the base of the tree. The thick foliage and the slight dip of the ground should hide her well enough.

She heard them approaching, spread out through the trees and running as she had been. Good. As long as they were running they would be less likely to spot her. When two guards approached her position at a high speed, she held her breath and sat completely still, willing her very heart beat to slow down and stop banging against her rib cage.

Her uninjured hand slowly found it's way to her abdomen on it's own accord, as if soothing the tiny little life form inside and instinctually protecting it as best she could. She exhaled a silent breath as the guards passed by her hiding spot without noticing. It was then that she suddenly felt a tickle like feeling deep in her stomach, almost like little butterflies scraping their wings against the inside of her abdomen. It was light, almost non-existent, and only lasted for a second, but she _did_ feel something. She just didn't know if that something was good or a sign of something terribly wrong with the infant growing inside.

Bringing her gnarled hand up she placed it on her small, but slightly protruding, stomach. She could still hear the guards running in the distance, the sound getting further away this time, the hooting and croaking of various animals in the woods, and the swirling of the gentle breeze as it blew through the tree tops.

The damp forest floor was making her already chilled body that much colder and the low levels of oxygen, combined with the tightness of her chest, made it hard to breath. Glancing at her right arm, she noted how the scratches from L'ketar's claws were an angry red, her entire lower arm swollen, and her broken hand was swollen as well, the fingers twisted at a unnatural angle while dark bruises had formed from her finger tips all the way up her arm. Judging by some of the discoloration she'd say her arm was already getting infected.

All of this, added to the stabbing pains throughout the rest of her body, meant one thing…her baby was in trouble. She needed medical attention soon, but without a communicator and without knowing where Chakotay and the others were she had no means of getting that attention. She couldn't even move from this spot safely without risking being caught. And the fuzzy, tangled up mess she called her mind wasn't helping. It must be the concussion that, judging by how droplets of blood were dripping from her head onto her left hand, was not healing at all. And she was suddenly very tired.

All the exertion, running for long minutes, lack of sleep, no food or hydration for the past few days, and the various wounds causing blood loss were finally beginning to catch up with her. Her eyelids felt as heavy as the Delta Flyer as they fought against her common sense that screamed at them to remain open.

She just wanted to sleep, just wanted to see Tom and Harry to make sure they were alright, and then lay down for a month away from the Mykantens and preferably all big cats in general. She knew there was a reason she liked dogs after all.

As her mind slowly lost the battle against the concussion her eyelids began to droop tiredly. Her breathing hitched in her chest as her head fell back against the tree, but her hands still remained on her abdomen, clutching her unborn baby as if trying to keep it close and keep a barrier between it and the world that wanted to harm it. And even as a transporter beam began to dematerialize her, her hands remained wrapped around her midsection, daring anyone to take away the little piece of life she held on to protectively.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Yep, I still don't own Star Trek Voyager.

A/N: Thanks for reading! The next few chapters will be back to normal, or at least as normal as could be under these circumstances. Hope you like it!

* * *

"…_Woken up yet?"_

"_I told you I'd call as soon…."_

"…_even still asleep?"_

She could hear the voices as they came into focus and then fade as if the speakers were moving about the room. The voices were familiar, but so was the beeping going on around her and even the smell of this room triggered vague memories. And…was that someone snoring? Yes, someone was definitely snoring and there was a mysterious warm air sporadically hitting her right hand.

There was something else familiar too. A subtle vibration, a hum so quite it was almost non-existent. She knew the feeling…_Voyager. _She was back on the ship, most likely in sick bay, and she suddenly knew who was speaking as well.

She turned her head in an attempt to force her eyelids open and slowly they finally did as she wanted. Things were a bit blurry at first, mostly light and odd outlines invading her vision. Then suddenly she felt a jolt as something furry hit her hand.

"Captain!" One of the odd shaped outlines exclaimed. She blinked a couple times trying to clear her vision and sure enough Neelix began to take a more solid form. Now if she could just get him to keep his voice down before her head split open. "Doctor!" Apparently the glare she had attempted to send his way hadn't quite transmitted correctly.

"Neelix?" She muttered, swallowing in an attempt to moisten her dry throat. "What are you doing here?" _Or more precisely, why were you snoring against my hand_?

"I came by to see you after dinner." He explained, his still slightly blurry form moving from side to side. "I must have fallen asleep." he added with the traditional jubilant laugh.

She blinked again, trying to focus, but his swaying was making her dizzy. "Kathryn?" It was one of the voices from earlier, one she recognized easily now.

"Chakotay." She said as his trademark tattoo came into view. She felt him take her hand and smiled softly in return when she saw his relieved grin directed at her.

"Good to see you finally awake, Captain." Turning her head to the left she caught sight of the Doctor running a tricorder over her head.

She began to push herself up then. It was much easier now then it was back on the planet she noted. In fact other then being tired and sore she felt a lot better. "Captain, you really shouldn't…" The Doctor began, but she just continued to sit up, Chakotay placing a hand on her shoulder to help keep her balanced.

The Doctor sighed, giving her the 'you're far too stubborn for your own good and you'll regret this in the morning' look. "Very well, if you insist on doing the _opposite_ of what I say, then could you at least stay sill until I get a pillow." He said, moving away to get said pillow.

"How are you feeling, Kathryn?" Chakotay asked softly, messaging her shoulder gently while watching her closely for any sign of trouble. She smiled reassuringly at him, but it didn't last.

Neelix was now standing by her hand, but his blurry form was still moving back and forth making her dizzy again. "Neelix, could you please stop swaying." She asked, but it was obviously more of an order.

She watched as the talaxian glanced over at Chakotay, wearing a worried look that she noticed her first officer now wearing as well. "I'm not moving at all, Captain." Neelix stated, with an edge of anxiety lacing his voice.

"Well in that case, as you were." She said, rubbing her temples. She really needed a cup of coffee…

"You're equilibrium may be off, Captain." The Doctor stated as he approached with a large pillow. He slid the pillow behind her back, adjusting it and the pillow already there so that it propped her up into a sitting position. "I'll get you a hypospray that will help. Unfortunately, I can't give you any more pain relief then what's already in you're blood stream." He told her before moving off to the side to load a hypo.

"Is the baby alright?" She asked, not really caring about a shot at that moment. She glanced up at Chakotay as he continued to watch her. When their eyes met he gave her a small smile, but she couldn't tell if his relief was just because she was awake or because he knew their baby was okay as well.

"At the moment." The Doctor answered once he turned back around. She narrowed her eyes at him as he pressed the hypo to her neck.

"What do you mean, at the moment?" She asked tightly, her left hand flexing on the bed beside her.

"Well, Captain, I don't know what you expect me to say or, for that matter, what you expect in general after getting yourself kidnapped and tortured for two days." He stated, placing the hypo back on it's tray and ignoring the look on her face. "I'm not about to condone a pregnant woman, captain or not, being exposed to those circumstances."

"Doctor, I'm only going to ask this one more time, is the baby alright?" She asked slowly, giving him a glare that actually made the smug look on his face falter.

"Our baby's going to be okay." Chakotay told her, sending his own disapproving look at the Doctor. "You both had us worried there for awhile though. When we beamed you aboard you were unconscious and injured pretty badly, but the Doctor was able to get you to surgery before the baby could be effected. We left the planet as soon as we had you on board. That was two days ago."

Two days…she'd been unconscious for two days. Wait, if they left orbit what about Harry and Tom? She was just about to ask where her two crewmen were, but Chakotay seemed to sense her question. "Tom and Harry are both fine too. We found them at the bottom of a ditch."

She let out the small breath she hadn't realized she was holding and leaned her head back against the pillow. Good. Her crew was alright and so was her baby. "In fact Mr. Paris helped with the surgery to repair your ribs and shoulder." The Doctor said from somewhere near her feet. "Of course he wasn't too happy afterwards when things finally calmed down."

"Why not?" She asked, once again glancing at Chakotay and Neelix.

"He found out the gender of the baby while he was healing the bruises on you legs. That of course meant he had to withdraw from the betting pool and was sworn to secrecy. " The Doctor explained as he ran a tricorder over her abdomen.

"He's been secretly trying to get the information out of the Doctor for so long and now he knows, but can't even use it." Chakotay stated amusedly, making her smile as well.

The Doctor nodded, and shut off the medical tricorder before turning to face the expectant parents. "The baby's heartbeat is steady and strong. A few more hours down on that planet and the blood loss would have began to take a negative effect, but fortunately we got to you in time so that that didn't happen…this time." He added with a pointed look. "As for you; your broken bones have all been healed properly. As well as the abrasions on your legs and back."

She watched him walk around the bed and stop by her right arm, scooting Neelix out of the way. "The scratches on your arms were harder to heal, however. They were deep and already infected. As you can see, there's still red marks left behind." He said, lifting her arm and pointing out the long red lines from her elbow to fingers as if he was teaching a class. "They will go away, of course, but it will take a few days. You're hand will probably be sore for a few days as well, along if your ribs. It's imperative you rest and drink plenty of fluid…uncaffeinated fluid."

She stopped herself from rolling her eyes and just nodded instead. Hopefully if she nodded enough he'd let her get out of here. "Can I leave now?"

"I doubt I have much of a choice." He stated. "Everyone else has been running out of sick bay the past week, you might as well too. Though I highly suggest you refrain from actually running."

"I'll try to restrain myself." She answered sarcastically and watched as the Doctor headed towards his office, shooing a reluctant Neelix out as he went.

She sat up some more and swung her legs over the side of the bio bed. It was only then that she noticed Chakotay picking up her folded uniform from a nearby chair. "I figured he wouldn't be able to keep you locked up for long." Chakotay stated with a half smile as he handed her the clothes.

She smirked and accepted the uniform before slowly sliding off the bed. As she headed towards the back room to change, she realized Chakotay was following her. "Just where do you think you're going?" She asked with a raised eyebrow while stopped in the doorway.

"Kathryn, you were held prisoner and beaten for two days, laid unconscious for another two days, and nearly gave me panic attack. Do you really think I'm letting you out of my sight anytime soon?"

She rolled her eyes as the corner of her mouth twitched upwards just slightly. She should have known. Well, if he was going to insist on watching her every move then he could at least make himself useful. "Here, hold these." She said, pressing the boots into his chest as she walked further into the room. He shook his head with a small smile, but did as she asked anyways and followed after her.

After a few minutes of arranging the uniform over her baby bump and listening to some last minute instructions from the Doctor they finally managed to escape sick bay. Without even a second thought she strode out and began walking down the hallway.

"Kathryn…" It was only when he called her name that she realized her first officer wasn't behind her anymore. She stopped and turned to see him still standing by the sick bay doors with a knowing little smirk on his face. "The bridge is that way." he said nodding in her direction. "Our quarters are _this_ way." He added, gesturing to the hallway behind him.

Her jaw clenched slightly while she quirked an eyebrow at him. She hesitated for a minute, considering just turning and continuing on her way, but it was late and she was a bit tired. Alright, fine, she'd check up on Harry and Tom in the morning. They probably wouldn't appreciate being woken at this hour anyways. For now she'd get a few hours sleep herself and start fresh in the morning. So with that she walked towards her first officer, giving him a look as a she passed which just made him chuckle as they headed to their quarters.

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A/N: Thanks to everyone for reviewing! And also thank you for all the alerts and adding to favorites. You guys are awesome!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Yes, I know everyone knows this, but they make me say it anyways. I do not own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: Since the last chapter was a bit short I decided to go ahead and post this one too. At this point Janeway is about 22 weeks (five and a half months) pregnant.

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Why was it that her ship and crew were always endangered when it was the least opportune time for _Voyager_? This time the warp engines had been misbehaving and who should show up? A batch of renegade mercenaries who wanted a new ship. _Her_ ship to be precise.

She had, of course, tried to warm them about _Voyager_'s fire power and attempted to have mercy on them. Suffice it to say, it didn't work. In the end their meager little death trap was disabled and _Voyager _got away with just a few bumps and bruises.

Unfortunately, those bumps and bruises were now making themselves known in the form of malfunctioning transporters and computer glitches. Which meant she hadn't slept much in the past three days and barely eaten either. That of course lead to the massive headache she was now attempting to combat.

Given the predicaments of the last week she figured she'd earned the right to sit and eat peacefully in the mess hall. Apparently some people disagreed. First Neelix had insisted on carrying her tray as if she was complete invalid. Which she wasn't! Those damn mercenaries figured that much out.

In less then five minutes she was surrounded by half of her senior staff. Chakotay, Tom, and Harry had showed up to 'have lunch'. It of course had nothing to do with them wanting to make sure she was eating.

It wasn't long after that when the Doctor showed up. He, for his part, flat out told her that he was there to insure she was getting proper nutrition. So now, here they were, critiquing her food choices. They wanted her to eat and rest, yet when she did they complained that she wasn't doing it right? Somehow that didn't quite make sense.

"Should you be drinking that much coffee?"

"I don't believe that Cajun rice soup was on your nutritional supplement, Captain."

"You should try this Traggle Nectar."

The comments just kept coming too. She thought that if she ignored them long enough, gave them enough glares, and kept on eating they would eventually leave her alone. They didn't. And she was beginning to get _very_ tired of it. After the week she'd had she should be able to eat and drink whatever she wanted. And if they knew the type of headache she had right now they would lower their damn voices too.

"Would you like me to get you a salad, Kathryn?" That time it was Chakotay and, looking up at him, she knew he only wanted what he _thought_ was best for her. Knowing that was the only thing that kept her from reaching across the table and dunking his tattooed head into his plate.

"What I _want_ is to be able to eat a meal in peace." She gritted out in a slightly strained voice as the pain in her temples began to throb harder.

"Well, Captain, I highly doubt you'll be feel very 'peaceful' after eating that soup." The Doctor informed her as he stood with his arms crossed and looking down at her.

Her grip tightened on the spoon for a second, her jaw clenching, and the throbbing in her head intensifying with each word. She was still in complete control though. After all, she couldn't go around yelling at her crew in the mess hall. That could wait until they were somewhere more private where she could scare the hell out of them.

Instead she took a deep breath, released the spoon which she wouldn't be surprised if it was dented, and slowly stood up from her chair. "I'm going to my quarters to get some sleep, call me when the diagnostics are finished." She looked down at them with a hard glare that she knew couldn't be misinterpreted and then began to leave.

However she was only a few feet away from the table when the Doctor decided to speak up once again, this time addressing the other men. "Pregnancy hormones may begin to appear early due to stress."

He was dead. That is if he wasn't already a hologram. If he was human he'd be dead though and it would be slow and painful. She turned slowly and knew her eyes were blazing by the nervous looks on Tom and Harry's faces. And suddenly she had a wonderful idea…

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A/N: Any theories on what Janeway's 'idea' is?


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I've been saying this for several chapters now, but I guess I'll say it again. I still do not own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: Sorry about the delay in posting! Here's the next part. Hope you like it!

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She hadn't been this relaxed in weeks, months even, and it was all thanks to the Doctor who just didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. As punishment for their over bearing attitude and pregnancy remarks the Doctor, Harry, Tom, and Chakotay were serving their time on the holodeck in complete service to their Captain, the Chief Engineer, and of course the resident borg, the later of which was being forced to participate.

Kathryn Janeway was reclined back on a purple lounge chair overlooking a bubbling hot tub and sirenicgarden that was bathed in bright afternoon sunlight. The men were somewhere to her right at the bar, supposedly fixing her a tropical fruit smoothie, while B'Elanna was lounging on a recliner just to her left and Seven laid, rather tensely, on a swinging hammock tied between two marble pillars.

"Hey, pool boy!" The sound of B'Elanna's voice caused her eyes to open and her head to turn towards the half klingon. "You're slacking. My glass is almost empty. And didn't we order some sandwiches?"

"Coming, darling." Tom answered sarcastically, but sure enough within a few seconds the semi-shirtless pilot was at his wife's side offering her a fresh concoction and a cheeky smile. "How would you like another back rub while I'm over here?" He asked, bending down to sit on the lounge beside her.

"Well, that depends…" B'Elanna began as Tom leaned in closer.

Janeway rolled her eyes at the couple before interrupting. "No fraternizing with the laborers." She reminded them, making B'Elanna laugh and Tom hang his head exasperatedly.

"You heard the Captain, now get back to work, pool boy." B'Elanna told him with a smirk and a pat on the cheek. "And don't forget those sandwiches!" She ordered once Tom began to walk away.

"Captain, is my presence still required?" Janeway restrained herself from rolling her eyes again at Seven's question. The former borg just didn't seem willing to enjoy this little adventure in relaxation.

"That's the third time you've asked that, Seven!" B'Elanna pointed out before she had a chance to answer. "Why don't you just…"

"Lay back and enjoy yourself." The Captain finished, shooting B'Elanna a warning look to behave.

"I do not see why I should have to participate in this activity. I am not the one who said that the captain's hormones were out of sync do to pregnancy and elevated stress levels." Seven continued, shifting in the hammock uncomfortably and clutching the edges when said hammock swung to the side.

"Seven, just…." Janeway began almost laughed when Seven's hammock nearly turned over. "Stop moving." Seven obediently did as she suggested and the hammock stopped swaying. "Good. Now just lay back and relax. Enjoy the scenery and finish you're iced tea."

"I still do not understand the point of this activity." Seven stated, eyeing the hammock suspiciously and getting a muttered 'of course you don't' from the engineer sprawled out on the other lounger. "Nor do I see a point in this…iced tea when my nutritional supplement would work better and is more proficient for sustainability."

Janeway chuckled softly and decided not to try explaining it again. Instead she simply leaned her head back on the recliner, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the warm holographic sunlight.

A few seconds passed before she sensed a very familiar presence at her side and then heard the soft clink of a glass being placed on the small stool being used as a table. She smiled softly as the breeze blew through her short hair and caused the trees to rustle. She vaguely heard Tom and the Doctor arguing over something, but figured she didn't need to step in quite yet.

She didn't open her eyes until the lounge creaked as that familiar presence sat down near her knees. With a small smirk she shifted over just enough to pull the dark green sun dress she wore from under her visitor. "Shouldn't you be supervising something?" She stated, sending a pointed look to her right where the other three men were putting together sandwiches.

"I wanted to bring your drink." Chakotay answered with a half smile, gesturing to the brightly colored smoothie with a slice of pineapple and little umbrella sticking out of it. She glanced sideways at the drink, still smirking, before looking back at her husband. As per the rules, he was shirtless, wearing nothing but the tropical colored swim shorts that reached his knees, the matching open vest, sandals, and the purple carnation bracelet that was wrapped around his right wrist.

She had to admit that B'Elanna had been right about the bracelet. It really completed the outfit. She let her eyes roam a bit more before meeting her first officer's eyes, noticing how he was watching her just as closely. "I don't suppose you'd like to join me in the hot tub?" He asked, a suggestive smile curving his mouth upwards into a half smile.

"Mm, the hot tub does sound nice." She said looking over his shoulder for a second at the inviting water. She looked back at Chakotay as he brushed some hair away from her face and inched closer. "Unfortunately, you're far too busy to join me." She added with a teasing smirk, letting him know he was not getting out of his 'pool boy' duties that easily.

The little half smile on Chakotay's face disappeared for just a moment before he chuckled. She reached over and picked up the smoothie, catching B'Elanna's eye for a second, just long enough to see the smirk on the engineer's face.

"Why does he get to sit down?" Tom asked as he approached carrying a plate of fruit and finger sandwiches, followed by Harry and the Doctor, each with a matching plate.

"Come on, pool boy. You can grovel over here while I eat." B'Elanna said, sitting up in her chair and placing her drink on the ground.

Janeway watched as the helmsman set on the edge of the recliner, holding the plate out towards B'Elanna. "Captain." Harry's voice drew her attention back to her right where the young ensign was holding a plate. She smiled and began to reach for it, but Chakotay got to it first. He held the plate out to her with a teasing smile which she returned before picking up one of the little sandwiches.

"Hey!" Tom's exclamation caught everyone's attention. Looking over she was just in time to see Tom retracting his hand from the plate of food as if it was slapped, and judging by the look on B'Elanna's face that's probably exactly what happened.

She shook her head and took a bite of her sandwich before looking up to check on Seven. Judging by how the Doctor and Harry were looking exasperated, it appeared the former borg wasn't anymore interested in the food then she was the relaxation experience.

She finished off her sandwich and was about to reach for an unknown yellow fruit when another finger sandwich was suddenly being held in front of her. She arched an eyebrow at her first officer who was handing her the small sandwich with a smile on his face. She rolled her eyes, but took the offered food anyways. Might as well humor him a bit. And she was hungry.

By the time she finished off half the contents of her plate Seven was just starting to eat, after further encouragement from the Doctor and Harry, while B'Elanna was enjoying a foot rub courtesy of her husband. She looked on amusedly as her crew relaxed and reached for her tropical smoothie. That's when it happened.

A pinch in her stomach, almost like someone flicked the inside of her abdomen with their finger. The sudden and unexpected jolt caused her hand to fall away from the drink and gravitate immediately to her baby bump. The last time she felt anything like that was nearly a month ago, on the Mykanten's planet. That time it had been softer, lighter and far less pressure though. In fact when she returned to the ship she hadn't even been sure she had felt anything at all.

But this time she sure as hell did. She stared down at her abdomen, eyebrows furrowed in surprise as she ran a hand over her stomach. "Kathryn?" The gentle, curious voice of her first officer broke her trance, but she didn't pull her eyes away from the small bump.

"I think the baby kicked." She muttered, sitting up a bit straighter. She glanced up at Chakotay to see him watching her with a look of curiosity and a spark of hope in his dark orbs.

His large hand moved up and rested gently on her stomach, grazing his fingers against hers as he stared down with a look of deep concentration. "I don't feel anything." He whispered, as if speaking too loudly would frighten away the little creature.

She ran her hand in a small circle in an attempt to elicit a reaction. Nothing happened. The baby must have her stubborn streak after all. She glanced up again, this time noticing the sudden silence and how Tom and B'Elanna were both watching with so much focus it seemed like they were holding their breaths. The Doctor was now at the foot of her chair with a small smile while Harry stared over anxiously and even Seven seemed to be watching with curiosity.

Chakotay followed her lead and moved his hand soothingly across her protruding stomach before bringing it to a stop so close to hers that his pinky overlapped her thumb.

'_Thump'_

It was much harder that time and much more noticeable. She could even feel the 'thud' vibrating under her hand. A grin slowly spread across her face as she looked up triumphantly to ask if Chakotay had felt it. She didn't have to ask though. The look of pure awe and adoration present on his face was enough to tell her that he had definitely felt it.

She moved her hand on top his, giving it a gentle squeeze as she continued to watch him. When he looked up at her with that same adoring look now mixed with a deep, unfathomable love it was almost enough to knock her speechless.

"May I?" The Doctor asked with an unmasked sense of pride. She glanced up at him with a smile and nodded her approval before sliding her hand to the side of the baby bump to make room.

The Doctor placed his hand on her stomach, feeling around expertly as if examining it with a half smile. "The little one is certainly growing nicely." He stated making her grin even broader for a moment.

"My turn, Doc." Tom said and he suddenly appeared at her side, along with B'Elanna who was quickly followed over by Harry and Seven. Tom placed a hand on her stomach, opposite of where Chakotay's still sat. The unborn infant must have sensed their trouble making uncle because there was another 'thump', this time adding pressure to her diaphragm as well making her lungs exhale a short breath of air. The baby certainly had a powerful kick.

"The kid has you're right hook, Captain." Tom stated amusedly, with his usual teasing smile.

Within seconds she had two more hands, belonging to B'Elanna and Harry, on her baby bump. She raised an eyebrow at the four officers currently petting their captain's stomach. If she didn't know better she'd think she were here purely for their amusement. With a small amused smile, she looked over to see the Doctor still smirking and Seven standing next to him with her hands behind her back while watching the baby bump as if studying it.

"It's not going to bite, Seven." She assured the former borg who looked up at her with a look that said she was restraining herself from backing away slowly. "Come on over. If the majority of my senior staff is going to be invading my personal space then you might as well join in too."

Seven raised an eyebrow, but moved forwards to stand between Tom and B'Elanna and slowly bent down to touch what used to be her abdomen and was now the nine month living space of a miniature human. "I do not feel anything."

"Probably frightened it away with those assimilation tubes." B'Elanna murmured, getting a laugh from Harry which the young officer quickly covered up with cough.

"Or perhaps it is afraid of Klingons." Seven stated, which earned her a glare from the engineer. Before the two women could trade anymore insults Tom not-so-subtly moved around Seven to take her place beside B'Elanna.

Janeway looked on with an amused smirk. She glanced back over at Chakotay who looked up to meet her eyes. It was then, in that moment, that the realization truly hit. She was having a baby...no, _they_ were having a baby. A tiny little person was growing inside of her, waiting to meet the aunts and uncles that already adored him or her. Only three and half more months to go...

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A/N: So, what did you think? More to come soon!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: I've added a new chapter to my other fic 'Dismissed!' which ties in with this story. You don't need to read it to understand this one or anything like that though. It's just a side story that fits with the theme of another of my fics, but also takes place during this story. So I guess it's kind of like a crossover between the two. If you're interested it's chapter 15 of 'Dissmissed!'.

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Kathryn Janeway stood in front of the bathroom mirror and stared at her reflection. No, more precisely she stared at the uniform she was wearing in the reflection. A maternity uniform. There was just something…wrong about it. She had put off switching even when her regular uniform began to get tight around the middle, but she couldn't avoid it any longer now.

She had been lucky, for the first several months she barely seemed to gain any noticeable weight. While she definitely had a baby bump that showed she was indeed pregnant, it hadn't actually been that big, but then six months hit and….BAM! Now she couldn't even see her feet. They were missing in action and she found herself too tired to search for them.

Chakotay hadn't said a word this morning. When she woke up he was sitting on the end of the bed putting his jogging shoes on. She pushed herself up, something that really shouldn't have been as hard as it had been, and was going to head for the shower. The only problem was that when she went to put on her slippers she couldn't actually see them with her stomach blocking her vision. She was about to give up and just go without them when her grinning husband knelt down in front of her and slid the blue slippers onto her ice cold feet.

He then leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her stomach, something he was doing more and more lately, before standing and walking into the bathroom as she stared after him with narrowed eyes. She stood up without much difficulty and reached the bathroom just as he was coming out with a look that said he was obviously trying to hide the amused smile on his face. She simply glared, daring him to say one damn thing about what just happened.

He was smart enough not to say anything. Instead he gave her a sweet little kiss on the lips before heading out for his early morning run with Tuvok as she walked into the bathroom. Coming out ten minutes later she realized he hadn't in fact left immediately.

There, laid out on the bed, was her uniform…her _improved_ uniform. It sat there, mocking her and, as she slowly approached, she could swear it was laughing at her in that arrogant way only a maternity uniform could pull off. It was _gloating_. That damn, inanimate uniform was practically smirking at her triumphantly, she could feel it.

She'd walked around the bed, glaring at the offensive clothing as she went, and picked out one of her regular uniforms from the closet. It hadn't worked. The thing wouldn't even zip properly anymore! She'd stomped back to the bed, glaring some more at the gloating uniform before snatching it up angrily.

Now here she was, staring into the mirror at the abhorrent excuse of a captain's uniform. It may not look much different, but yet it _was_ different. She could especially tell when she walked. And she knew the crew would notice as well. She didn't like it one bit.

Flattening some of the material over the bump and running a brush through her hair once more, she then turned and walked briskly out of the bathroom. There was no point standing and staring all day. Not when there was work to be done.

With a deep breath she straightened her back, holding her head up high with what dignity she had left, and walked out of her quarters with her usual confident strides. She _was_ the captain after all and, no matter how idiotic she may look in this uniform, she could still take on anyone who dared cross her path. That she would be more then willing to prove.

She strode down the hallway, into the turbo lift, down more hallways and finally reached the mess hall. She covertly glanced around as she entered and headed for the kitchen. If any of the crew had noticed yet, they weren't saying anything. In fact it looked as if they hadn't even realized she'd entered at all.

A small smirk twisted her lips upwards as she purred herself a glass of the talaxian version of orange juice. So far so good. If things kept going like this then maybe…

"Why Captain, aren't you looking radiant this morning!" Nope, she wasn't that lucky. Turning to the side with her glass in hand she smiled, somewhat forcibly, at the talaxian.

"Thank you, Neelix. You're looking well this morning too." She replied, making the cheerful man grin and chuckle. If she could just get away before he mentioned her newest uniform….

"Have you done something different with your hair." Again, she apparently wasn't that lucky. She knew where this was heading.

"No, must just be the lightening." She told him, hoping he would let it drop and not bring up her change of attire.

"No, there's definitely something different." Neelix said, squinting slightly as he picked up a tray of food for her. "Whatever it is, it works for you! You're looking marvelous today. Not that you don't always look that way, of course."

She shook her head and smiled softly at him. "We've been through this a dozen times, Neelix. Flattery will get you no where." She reminded him pointedly.

"It's not flattery, Captain. It's the truth!" He stated seriously, and was about to lead her over to a table before a hand landed on his shoulder, making him jump just slightly.

She took the opportunity to take the tray out of his hand before anyone else could do it as the newest arrival bid the talaxian good morning. After saying a brief 'thank you, Neelix' she began making her way to a corner table with her first officer following closely.

"He is right, you know." Chakotay stated nonchalantly as she sat her try down on the table before turning towards him.

"Have you had a shower yet?" She asked, examining his running outfit and sweat greased hair.

"No." He began, a mischievous smile slowly forming. "I heard some crewmen talking about a beautiful woman in the mess hall and couldn't resist coming and seeing her for myself."

She quirked an eyebrow at him and pushed down the amused little smile that wanted to escape. "You're a suck up, Commander."

"Only when it comes to my Captain." He replied, that mischievous smile getting bigger as he let his eyes roam up and down in a way that definitely was not how a first officer should be looking at his captain.

She smirked up at him for a second before taking her seat at the table. "Like I told Neelix, flattery will get you no where."

"Uh huh…" He said with a half smile and a teasing glint in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes and took a sip of juice while gesturing towards the door. "Why don't you go get a shower and let your captain finish her breakfast."

He laughed, the corner of his eyes doing that crinkling thing they do whenever he's really amused. "Yes, Captain." He stated formally and turned to leave, but stopped and looked back with a suddenly serious face. "Do you have another headache this morning?"

"Not yet." She answered flatly while stirring her scrambled eggs. "I stopped by to see the Doctor last night. Apparently headaches can be a pregnancy symptom as much as nausea and tiredness usually are. Since I'm prone to headaches anyways…"

"Is there anything he can give you to make it stop?" Chakotay asked, taking a seat opposite her.

"Only mild pain relievers once in awhile. Nothing to prevent them really except sleep, hydration and, as he put it, 'less stress then what you consider your normal level'." She explained, rolling her eyes briefly.

"Would a back rub help?" He asked, that teasing smirk slowly coming back.

"A back rub is what got us into this predicament in the first place." She reminded him with a raised eyebrow. "And Chaktoay…"

"Yes." He said, leaning forward some more.

"You're sweating all over my breakfast." She finished sending a pointed look down at the tray of food just inches away from him.

He looked down then back up at her with a small half smile before standing up. "Alright, shower it is."

"Thank you and don't forget about the staff meeting this afternoon." She reminded him before watching as he walked away with an amused grin.

She was just about to get back to her breakfast when a hard 'thump' vibrated around her stomach and was followed by a fluttering feeling. Judging by the summersaults going on inside, it seemed the baby wasn't too pleased with the delay in the meal. Either that or it just didn't like her new uniform anymore then she did, in which case she could understand the complaint. She soothed her hand over the baby bump and once the little one quieted down she went back to her food, but she couldn't help the sudden feeling that these eggs would taste so much better with peanut butter.

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A/N: I know, this chapter was kind of short, but I had to do a 'maternity uniform' chapter. I just couldn't help myself. Let me know what you think, please!


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Star Trek Voyager, but considering I'm pretty sure everybody already knew that let's just get back to the story.

A/N: So sorry about the delay in posting again. Hope you like the new chapter though! Janeway is about six and half months pregnant at this point.

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Her feet hurt. That thought kept swirling around her head, overshadowing most of the other thoughts currently trying to gain her attention. And there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it at the moment either.

_Damn_. Now her ankles were throbbing too. Maybe the Doctor had been right and she shouldn't have been crawling around the Jefferies tubes all day yesterday. Not that she'd ever admit that to him.

This was getting ridicules. She'd tried shifting in her command chair, changing positions in hopes of alleviating pressure off her feet, even walked from the comm station and back in hopes of stretching a bit. Nothing. The throbbing persisted.

She considered retreating to her ready room and laying down for bit, but she hadn't been on the bridge much yesterday and had already spent nearly three hours in her ready room this morning so she really should stick around for awhile. Calling the Doctor and asking for a hypo was out of the question at the moment as well, unless she wanted an hour long lecture.

She was about ready to order Chakotay to give her a foot rub though. Wouldn't _that _be interesting! She could see it now, her first officer on his knees, in front of her chair, rubbing her feet…

She could just imagine what Starfleet Command would say if they saw that. Not to mention what the crew would do if they watched the first officer giving their pregnant captain a message on the bridge. Then again, he'd deserve any laughter he got as a consequence. This was all his fault after all!

Okay, so maybe it wasn't completely his fault, but at least seventy percent of it was his fault. He was the one who said his shots were up to date. She had been so busy at the time she was behind on her inoculations as well, something that she had told him, but he insisted it would be fine. There was just one problem with that line of thought…he wasn't the one who had to be pregnant and deal with the swollen ankles!

So yes, he should have to give her a foot rub in the middle of the bridge. It was only fair. She smirked inwardly as she went back to imagining him kneeling before her chair.

"Are you alright, Kathryn?" The subject of her revenge plot broke her from her little fantasy with that soft, supposedly innocent question.

She looked over at him as his leaned towards her and she forced the scathing remark to remain in her head. Was she alright? What kind of question was that! Her feet and ankles were throbbing, her back was stiff, she was craving a peanut butter and banana sandwich, and she wanted a damn cup of coffee! And he was asking if she was alright?

She was going to kill someone….preferably the person who caused all this.

She was about to tell him just what she thought about his question when he suddenly got up from his chair and started walking away. Now he was running away from her! Maybe that fury she had been trying to control had leaked out a bit and scared him.

Turning back to face the view screen again she didn't bother to repress the scowl she knew was probably on her face. Now she didn't even have a first officer to rub her feet. Maybe she could talk Tuvok into doing it for her.

"Kathryn?" Well, it seemed her so called loyal first officer had returned. He better be ready to grovel.

"Yes, Commander." She answered evenly, keeping the majority of venom from her voice, but it still held an edge that could probably slice through a Leola root.

He didn't answer and so she looked up to see if he'd run away again. He hadn't. No, instead he was standing by the side of her chair offering her a cup of…coffee? Yes, she would recognize that oh so inviting smell anywhere. He had brought her coffee.

She knew there was a reasons she kept him around. With a thankful smile, she snatched up the offering and inhaled it's glorious aroma. Okay, she wouldn't make him humiliate himself…at least not today.

She relaxed back into her command chair, temporally forgetting her aching feet, and sipped her nice hot coffee. It really was a sweet gesture and…wait….why did her eyes suddenly feel moist? Damn hormones. She'd have to remember to ask the Doctor about having them removed. But that could wait until after her coffee.

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A/N: Don't forget to review, please! Only a few more chapters left.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing related to Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: So sorry about making you guys wait again! Here's the next chapter though. Hope you like it!

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She watched him pace back and forth across the carpeted floor of their quarters.

_Once, twice..._

If he didn't' slow down he was going to wear a hole right through the deck and into some poor crewmember's quarters.

_four, five..._

Now she was starting to get nauseous just watching him. Though that could be due to not eating lunch so the baby was simply complaining about her eating habits. Either way, Chakotay's anxious and tense pacing was not helping.

He was up to ten rounds…or maybe twelve, she had blanked out there for a second. Suddenly he came to an abrupt halt in front of her.

_Finally!_

He turned to look at her and she almost felt guilty when she saw the extremely concerned look on his face that was mixed with a tinge of anger in his eyes and an exceedingly tense posture. She didn't want to put him through this, but she really hadn't had a choice at the time. In other circumstances, at a different time, he would have probably understand, but as it was...

"Kathryn, you do know you're pregnant, right?" he asked and she would have laughed at the question except for the fact he was deadly serious if the look on his face was any indication.

Maybe it would be best to just humor him instead of the sarcastic comment she really wanted to say to him at the moment. "Yes, Chakotay, I assure you that I am well aware of that fact. " She stated, glancing pointedly down at her protruding stomach for emphasis.

"Then why exactly would you run _towards_ a fire!"

"Chakotay..." She began and sighed while standing to face him. "Tom and Mitchells were right in the middle of the kitchen when the stove exploded, trapped. They needed back up and I was the only one close enough." That was the tenth time she'd explained, but it just never seemed to be the response he was looking for. "Besides, I'm the captain, I can't just put my own needs and wishes above the safety of the crew all the time."

She could tell he was about to argue that point, as he had many time before, but she stopped him momentarily by raising her hand. "I contacted Tuvok immediately, even though it may not have been necessarily. I took every precaution I could. Everything worked out in the end anyways. We were able to fix the containment field and put out the fire so no one was hurt."

"No one was hurt." He stated flatly and she knew what was coming next before he even opened his mouth. "You nearly got your arm blown off!"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead sunk back onto the sofa. "You're exaggerating Chakotay. It was just a scratch."

She could tell he wanted to scream and argue and lecture her some more, but instead she watched as he closed his eye and took a deep breathe. "Tuvok was right." He stated, no more anger in is voice, but still a slight edge to it.

"About what, exactly?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and scooted over so he could sit down next to her. He didn't sit, however. Instead he opened his eyes and stared at her with a partially sad, partially amused little smile.

"You're more stubborn then a klingon." she chuckled lightly at that and patted the spot next to her on the sofa. After a brief hesitation he slowly stepped around the coffee table and took the offered seat.

She could tell he was still tense and anxious with various emotions running around his head, but as she put a hand on his leg she was glad to see he had at least relaxed enough so he wouldn't strain any more muscles. "Remind me to have a talk with my security chief about calling his commanding officer things behind her back."

Chakotay laughed softly, but it was obviously only half hearted. She watched him for a moment as he ran a hand over his face and sighed heavily. She patted his leg comfortingly and smiled when his hand came down to grasp hers in a bear like grip as if he was afraid she'd disappear. And maybe that's just what he thought would happen.

"I'm not sure what your strange fascination is with scaring the hell out of me, but do you think you could hold off on it for a couple of months? Just long enough for my heart to stop racing if you don't mind. Unless of course you want to give me a heart attack." He stated and she had a feeling he was only half joking.

She smiled over at him and was secretly relieved when he looked up at her with a his own small smile. "I'll see what I can do." She stated and she knew that wasn't the answer he wanted, but it really was the best she could do.

He opened his mouth, obviously about to argue and demand a more satisfactory answer, but she beat him to it. "I still have a job to do and so do you. Speaking of which, I'm hungry and the baby is starving so it might be a good idea to get something to eat." She knew mentioning hunger or the baby would distract him, if only momentarily.

He looked at her for a second with an knowing look that pointedly said that he was well aware of her little trick and that the discussion wasn't over, but he got up anyways to go get his uniform jacket so they could head to the mess hall.

She knew they'd probably talk some more about this and probably would right up until she gave birth, but she also knew he understood even if he didn't like it. The same thing applied to the rest of her crew. They didn't like it when she put herself or the baby in danger, but they also knew they were just going to have to deal with it.

She looked up as Chakotay returned, with his jacket now on, and accepted his offered hand to help her up. Together they started making their way to the newly fixed mess hall.

"It might interest you to know that the Doctor, Tom, and myself are making a back up plan to lock you in sickbay as the due date gets closer." Chakotay stated nonchalantly as they left their quarters. "Tom suggested the holodeck, but knowing you, you'd probably find a way to get in trouble there as much as you would on some unknown alien planet."

She rolled her eyes, but decided to ignore that last comment. She wasn't the one who lost shuttlecrafts around every turn anyways. "You do and I'll lock you all up in the brig for the next thirty or forty years."

They continued their way to the mess hall and normally she would have moved out from the arm he had snugly around her shoulders as they walked the corridors, but under the circumstance she decided to ignore it like she did his earlier comment. He seemed to need the confirmation that she was still with him and, after making him worry so much the past twenty-four hours, she figured a few broken protocols were worth giving him that comfort.

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A/N: Don't forget to review, please!


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek Voyager! I'll let you know if I ever do though.

A/N: This chapter tweaks a certain episode (which you'll probably figure out by the end) a bit. It doesn't completely change the events, just twists a certain aspect. I can't really say anymore without giving away what the chapter's about. Also, Janeway is about seven months pregnant at this point.

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_Thump!_

Janeway rubbed a hand soothingly over her protruding stomach while holding Tuvok's tactical report in the other hand and sitting forward at her office desk. The baby, or 'Baby V' as Harry had dubbed it, was exceedingly active lately. The growing infant seemed quite fond of summersaults and jumping jacks to the point that she was sure he or she would grow up to be either a gymnast or a Starfleet drill sergeant.

_Buzz_…

Hearing the door chime, she rolled her neck and sat back, without looking up from the report, before bidding the person entrance. "Enter"

B'Elanna entered with her usual determined stride, though she noted how the engineer hesitated just slightly before crossing the threshold. "B'Elanna, what can I do for you?" She asked, looking up and indicating the chair in front of her desk for the engineer to sit in.

Slowly B'Elanna took the offered seat, but didn't speak right away. Janeway quirked an eyebrow and was about to ask the original question again, but B'Elanna chose that moment to start talking.

"I guess you haven't heard yet?" The other woman half stated, half asked with a small smirk.

Not another rumor; she was seriously tired of those things by now. "Apparently not. What exactly is it that I haven't heard about yet?"

B'Elanna shrugged and the dull twinkle lingering in her eyes made Janeway suddenly apprehensive about the answer. "I'm sure Chakotay will be by here soon to tell you. That is if Tom doesn't announce it over the intercom for the whole ship to know about."

"Know about what?" Now she just wanted to know what the hell was going on.

"You're contagious." The half klingon stated simply, her smirk growing by the second.

Janeway had a feeling her headache was about to turn into a migraine at this rate. It wasn't often that she got confused, but this was seriously making her head spin. "I'm what?"

"You're pregnant." B'Elanna pointed out with that damn smirk still in place.

She decided not to respond with the comment on the tip of her tongue this time, but instead narrowed her eyes at the engineer sitting across from her. "I hadn't noticed." She said sarcastically.

"So am I." The chief engineer's answer made her raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"You're what…" Suddenly the meaning of what B'Elanna was saying sunk in. "You're pregnant." She stated flatly in an attempt to confirm her suspicions.

"Apparently." B'Elanna answered with a small half smile. "We just found out this morning, but you know how quickly news spreads around here." The engineer added, making them both laugh slightly. Yes, she was definitely well aware of the speed news traveled around the ship.

Standing up, she began walking around her desk just as the other woman stood from her own chair. As she opened her arms B'Elanna smiled, the twinkle in her eyes just a bit brighter, and accepted the hug with a soft chuckle.

"Congratulations!" She told the other woman, patting her back softly for a second before pulling out of the hug. "Now I don't have to be the only one who forced to endure the paranoia." She added while walking them both over to the sofa. "Do you know if it's going to be a boy or a girl?"

"No, I think we're going to wait and be surprised like you and Chakotay." B'Elanna answered.

She was about to ask another question, but the door chime told her that she had another visitor. "Enter." She ordered and watched as Chakotay strode in with a wide grin on his face. She shared a knowing glance with B'Elanna before turning her attention back to the expectant father.

"You look awfully happy today." She stated, the corner of her mouth twitching upwards into a smile.

"Of course he is." B'Elanna said from next to her with a scoff and rolling her eyes. "He gets to be a daddy _and_ an uncle."

She chuckled amusedly and smiled just a bit more when she noticed how Chakotay was practically beaming. She could only imagine what Tom must look like at the moment. He was already excited about being an uncle to the command team's baby and now he got to have his own baby as well. She wouldn't be surprised if he and Chakotay started having 'daddy-to-be' meetings to discuss the stubbornness of their wives, baby names, and making other baby preparations.

"You know, I just had an idea." B'Elanna suddenly said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "When those two start getting too annoying we can just move Chakotay in with Tom and I'll move into your quarters until the baby's born. That way they can annoy each other and we'll be left in peace."

"You're right, B'Elanna." Janeway agreed seriously, but with a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she glanced at her first officer. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to move now, would you? We might actually get some work done then."

"I have a better idea." Chakotay said before B'Elanna could respond. "Why don't you both move into sick bay? That way the Doctor can keep an eye on both of you at once and I don't have to worry about either of you doing something like crawling around the Jefferies Tubes in the middle of the night...again" He added with a pointed look.

She was definitely going to have to find out who was telling on her. "Yes, and you can spend the remaining two months in the brig." She told him with a smirk before turning back to B'Elanna to continue their conversation, leaving a still smiling Chakotay to sit and listen.

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A/N: Okay, so you know how I said there would only be a few chapters left? Well, as I was editing this chapter I got an idea for another chapter that I could add. I'm not going to tell you what it'd be about (except that it'd tie in with this one), but if I did add it then there'd be a total of five chapters left of this story. I'm going to leave it up to you. Would you like me to add this new chapter?


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: Here's that extra chapter. Enjoy!

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"I'm going to kill him!" That exclamation was the first thing that greeted Captain Janeway the minute she opened the door of her quarters. The next thing she knew a rather irritated looking half-klingon was marching past her into the room.

With a raised eyebrow and a hidden smirk she casually walked over to the sofa and slowly lowered herself down. She watched for a few seconds as B'Elanna paced in front of the coffee table, arms going from crossed to at her side and back again.

"I mean what, does he think I'm some sort of glass plating that'll shatter with the first little jolt?" The chief engineer continued. "I am not helpless!"

"I highly doubt anyone would call you 'helpless', B'Elanna." She finally interjected, earning a scoff from the other woman who was still pacing fiercely.

"Apparently my 'dear' husband would." B'Elanna stated sharply while coming to a stop by one of the chairs, eyes jumping from one object in the room to another.

Janeway once again hid the amused smirk that threatened to expose itself since this probably wasn't the best time for that type of reaction. After all, she understood all too well what B'Elanna was experiencing. Even after several months she was still having the same issues and was still getting irritated at certain peoples' occasional treatment towards her. "What did Tom do?" She asked simply.

After a quick glance in her direction, as if briefly hesitating her next action, B'Elanna sat down in the chair next to the sofa. "He said I was working too much." The engineer explained in a tone that obviously showed she found that idea completely ludicrous. "Can you believe that! I mean, what does he expect me to do, just sit around all day and knit? I'm an engineer! The _chief_ engineer. I can't just walk away from my job and besides, it's not like I'm staying up twenty-four straight hours at a time anyways."

That sounded familiar. She'd been getting similar comments for the past seven months and giving similar responses. She was just about to say so, when the other woman continued her rant. "And then he actually tried to keep me from leaving our quarters when Ensign Clakten called to ask about the warp core maintenance. When I insisted I had to go check it out myself, he 'volunteered' to come with him. Like he had to baby sit me or something!"

Janeway just nodded while studying the young woman in front of her. She really did understand the annoyance of having someone watching your every move, acting like you were completely fragile, checking your plate and reporting your eating habits to the Doctor who would then write you up a brand new nutritional regiment and hand deliver it to you during a staff meeting…

There was only one thing to do in this situation. "You're off duty for the day, correct?" She asked, finally gaining B'Elanna's attention who had started muttering and seemed to be oblivious to the room's other occupant. She got a sharp nod in response along with a slightly confused expression.

"I came here right after checking in with Clakten." She answered before looking down as if realizing she'd just barged into her captain's room and started ranting. She went to stand, but Janeway waved her off and indicated the chair.

Once B'Elanna was sitting again she hit her comm badge. "Janeway to Chakotay." After less then two seconds her badge chirped and her first officer's voice filled the room.

"_Something wrong, Captain?_" He seemed to be greeting her with variants of that question every time nowadays.

"No, Commander, nothing wrong." She stated, getting another scoff from B'Elanna. "Just letting you that you'll be rooming with Mr. Paris this evening."

"_Kathryn…"_

"B'Elanna is staying over for awhile. You can come by and get an over night bag if you'd like though." She interrupted and waited for his response. Judging by the few seconds of silence she figured he was putting the pieces together and figuring out what was going on.

Apparently he understood. "_I can just drop by in the morning for a clean uniform. You two have fun._" He stated casually before saying his good-byes which included a subtle reminder to eat a proper dinner at which she rolled her eyes and generally ignored.

"Well, Lt., I think this particular circumstance calls for brownies." She stated formally while she pushed herself up from the far-too-low-for-a-pregnant-woman sofa and made her way over to the replicator.

"And popcorn?" B'Elanna asked, a slight hopeful tone to her voice as she stood and made to follow her.

"And popcorn." She confirmed with a brief nod. "Just grab the peanut butter while you're up."

* * *

Three Hours Later…

Tom Paris rolled over onto his back in an attempt to get comfortable. It was no use. The sofa just couldn't compare to his and B'Elanna's nice warm bed and fluffy pillows…a bed that was currently occupied by the ship's First Officer.

He sighed and threw an arm over his eyes, wishing like hell that his wife would show up and put him out of his misery. "Paris, if you don't stop making so much noise I'm going to come over there and shove a pillow in your face." Came the voice of the room's invader.

He rolled his eyes and pulled the thin blanket up to his chest. "Why do you get the bed, anyways? It is my room after all."

"Because I out rank you." Chakotay answered firmly. "Besides, this is all _your_ fault. If you had kept your mouth shut and just backed off then I could be in my own bed with my wife instead of cooped up in here with you."

"Oh, please…" Tom scoffed and rolled onto his side. "This coming from the man who oh so wisely asked the Captain if 'she needed to sit down' during the last briefing."

"Paris…"

"What?"

"Shut up."

Tom rolled his eyes again, but didn't say anything else. There was no need really because they both knew Chakotay was just as bad, if not worse, then he was when it came to 'over-protectiveness', even if the man wouldn't admit it.

A few minutes of silence passed as both men tried to fall asleep. After a while, he heard Chakotay roll over and grumble something unintelligible which made him smirk almost sadistically at the fact that the other man was just as uncomfortable as he was.

"Hey, Chakotay…" Tom began after a couple more minutes of silence in which it became obvious neither were going to be getting much sleep tonight.

Chakotay sighed, but acknowledged him anyways. "What is it, Tom."

"What do you think of the name Marcus?" He asked thoughtfully.

"For who?"

"Our baby."

A couple of seconds passed before Chakotay finally answered. "I thought you two were having a girl?"

"We are." He answered, nodding even though the other man wouldn't be able to see him in the dark. "Marcus can be a girl's name."

Chakotay scoffed and shifted in the bed again. "She'd wind up being called 'Marky' or something. Why not Nancy or…Aurora. Aurora would be a nice girl's name."

"I like Marcus." Tom replied, brows furrowed. "Maybe our next kid will be a boy."

"Does B'Elanna know that she's having another child? Or are you just going to wait and drop that bombshell after the first one's born?" Chakotay asked sarcastically with a teasing glint in his voice.

"Does the Captain know you're already planning on adding a third room to your quarters for 'future family expansions'?" He shot back and smirked triumphantly when he didn't get an answer right away.

"Paris…"

"Yeah?"

"Go to sleep."

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A/N: So, what did you think of this little addition? Also, just so you know, I've written yet another extra chapter for this story which should be posted in a couple of days.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I own nothing related in anyway to Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: This is another extra chapter I added after getting an idea from a review. So special thanks to stampensue for giving my muse another idea to play with!

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She didn't think she'd seen Chakotay this upset in…well, awhile. His face was red, his brows furrowed, and his eyes were screaming with barely hidden traces of fear, anger, and of course the emotion that seemed to be a constant lately-concern. And this time she did feel a bit guilty, or at least more so then with the whole 'fire in the mess hall' incident of a month ago. Mainly because this time it wasn't just her that was in danger.

She had dragged B'Elanna, a pregnant B'Elanna, into the mess. Alright, she hadn't actually forced the engineer into the chaos, but if it wasn't for her the other woman probably would've been safer. Or so the voice in her head kept telling her.

**Two hours previously**…

"You wanted to see me B'Elanna?" Janeway stated as she strode into engineering with as much authority as she could muster with swollen ankles and a stomach protruding to the point she couldn't see the deck under her feet. It must have been enough since the crewmembers that were milling about still nodded casually and went back to work as they normally would.

"Yes, Captain." The engineer answered with a brief glance up in her direction before going back to the consol she was working at. "You know how we've been having those glitches in random systems for the past few months? Well, I finally found the source." She added before moving across the alley to the opposite control panel.

Janeway followed, one hand subtly rubbing her lower back as she stood just to the side of the chief engineer and waited for her explanation. She had been wondering what was going on with her ship. That was why she kept ordering Harry and B'Elanna to run maintenance scans. Something was just…wrong. She could feel it and had been having those odd sensations of something not quite right for a few weeks now.

"It was that electrical burst we used to disrupt the Mykanten shield generator." B'Elanna explained. "It pulled a massive amount of energy into the phaser banks. The problem was that it took that power from almost every system, all at the same time, and in the process must have mixed up some of the components. If we'd only taken the energy from one system, or at least one system at a time, then it wouldn't have been an issue, but instead it happened all at once. The stove explosion, the replicator glitches, even the vocal programming mix ups on a couple holonovels were all caused by the same thing." She stated, finally looking up from the consol and turning to face her, that excited personality showing itself at the prospect of solving the mystery.

"Solutions?" She asked, glancing over the data displayed on the console, various scenarios already racing through her mind.

"Temporarily shut down all systems, except propulsion and life support which aren't effected, then manually re-route power to each separate system. That should solve the problems." B'Elanna answered confidently. "We'll have to watch out though, shutting them all down like this could cause a short circuit somewhere because of all the power trying to rush through all at once and then just stopping."

"Alright, do it. The sooner we get this fixed the better." Janeway stated with a nod.

"I already have Harry standing by on the bridge and Seven is in Astrometrics to help monitor too." The chief engineer replied, fingers flying over the panel again.

Janeway smirked softy, nodded again in acknowledgement even though she knew the engineer wasn't paying attention. The fact B'Elanna already had everything set up didn't surprise her at all. B'Elanna had always been proactive when it came to fixing the ship, but lately it seemed she wanted to get everything done at once and wouldn't allow there to be any disturbances that might cause a problem with said ship. Either because she wanted to make sure everything was in working order when she was forced to work less due to the pregnancy or simply because she wanted to prove that she could handle it.

"I'll stick around and help." She eventually told the engineer once the other woman was done giving assignments to her staff. "You take transporters, I'll do the replicators. That way we'll be able to pay more attention to any short circuits."

B'Elanna nodded briefly before heading back over to the control panel she'd been working at just seconds before. Janeway moved over to the opposite panel across the walkway, adjusted the read outs, and waited for the systems to be taken off line.

"We're all set down here, Harry." B'Elanna stated over her comm badge. "In five…four…"

Janeway glanced across her board, then around at the assembled crew, subtly monitoring for any problems.

"Three…two…now!" B'Elanna finished.

The entire deck, along with the rest of the ship, went pitch black for a moment. Then the emergency lights kicked in. Janeway quickly glanced around again, nothing seemed wrong at first…then her eyes fell on crewman Latez's station against the wall. A small whiff of thin smoke was wafting up from the bottom of his panel, near the flooring. It wasn't much, and could easily be overlooked, but she knew the signs of a short when she saw one. Especially one that could easily turn to a panel explosion.

She pressed the three buttons needed, re-routing the replicators as planned, while already moving away towards the young lieutenant. "Latez, move away." She ordered in a firm, 'do it now' voice.

Latez glanced back at her, obviously confused. It was too late. Sparks were beginning to jump from the screen on the wall. With a burst of speed she didn't know was possible in her state, she swiftly took the final two steps. She grabbed Latez's arm, forcing him back away from the panel even as a rather large spark jumped toward him.

She waved her hand in front of her face to clear the thickening smoke and began adjusting the power flow, ignoring the jumping sparks flying through the air around her and senging her clothes. She heard B'Elanna call "Captain!", but kept going. If this panel wasn't fixed then it'd bust open, taking the wall and probably a few crew with it. No, it had to be taken care of now.

The smoke began to fill her lungs, her hands burning as more sparks of fire hit them and her wrists, but she was almost done. "Captain!" This time B'Elanna's voice was right behind her, sounding either worried or agitated. She wasn't sure which and didn't have time to stop and figure it out. "I'll take care of this. You have to get out of here. The station could explode any second." She insisted, attempting to pull her away.

"I almost have it." She muttered and sure enough with one more final adjustment the station's screen cleared of static to display it's normal operational readings and began re-routing power into it's designated systems. But once again it was too late.

The build up of smoke under the panel suddenly blew a floor plating upwards, knocking both her and B'Elanna off their feet and at least a foot away from the station. She didn't know how far they were though, or how several crewmen were suddenly surrounding them in an attempt to help, because the moment her head hit the hard floor her world went black.

She'd apparently laid in sickbay for over an hour before she finally regained consciousness. As she awoke she'd noticed her chief engineer sitting up in the bed next to hers, Tom to her right and Chakotay standing between the two beds, both looking worried.

As she slowly and tiredly pushed herself up Chakotay had immediately turned towards her, those dark, worry filled eyes now focused entirely on her. And that's when the ranting had begun.

"Tom!" B'Elanna's exclamation broke her line of thought and pulled her focus back to the present 'conversation' at hand. "I am _not_ turning over engineering to anyone, not even temporarily. As long as I can walk, I'm going to keep doing my job." The engineer added with a hard, no argument, glare at the helmsman now standing next to Chakotay.

The two men adopted looks of the slightest surprise at the outburst as if they hadn't even realized that they had been lecturing non-stop for the last five minutes. She figured now would be the best time to finish this 'conversation' once and for all before either of them could once again start informing her and B'Elanna of how they were in no condition to be jumping into dangerious situations around every corner...or jumping anywhere for that matter.

"I understand how you both feel…" Janeway began, gaining the attention of the other three. "However, B'Elanna's right. We can't just sit back and do nothing. Especially not the captain." She added, and held up a bandaged hand when Chakotay went to argue. "You do have a point though. B'Elanna shouldn't have been put in that situation."

"_I_ shouldn't have been put in that situation? You're the one who…" B'Elanna started, obviously just as upset that the captain had been injured as she was about the engineer being put in danger.

"You shouldn't have been either…" Chakotay stated at the same time, with a nod of agreement from Tom.

She cut off both sentence with a raised eyebrow and narrowed eyes before continuing. "As I was saying, I would rather it not have happened at all, but it did happen and we can't change it now. Besides there was very little else that could have been done in the situation. Next time, however, all parties will just have to be more careful." She said with a firm look in hopes that the formal statement would work as a compromise.

The men exchanged a look before nodding reluctantly while B'Elanna crossed her arms. At least the arguments were over…for now. Just in time too, it seemed, since Tuvok and Harry chose that moment to enter sick bay while the Doctor left his office with a hypo in hand.

* * *

Janeway quietly moved through the bedroom after having to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. She was going more often now due to the extra pressure on her bladder and since 'Baby V' seemed exceptionally active tonight she was getting up even more then usual. Well, that and the fact that after the day's events she couldn't seem to shut her mind off which certainly didn't help her sleeping ability either.

As she approached the bed she noticed Chakotay still laying peacefully just as she had left him. Slowly, in an attempt not to wake the bed's other resident, she climbed in and scooted down under the covers. Once she was laying comfortably on her side she sensed the warm body behind her stir and move closer.

The next thing she knew his arm was snaking around her, his fingers brushing over her side gently before his hand came to rest on her baby bump. The active infant inside gave one more solid kick before slowly calming down for the night. As the baby quitted down, she found herself finally dozing off as well.

However, just then another arm was being slid under her neck, the hand coming around to rest not far from her shoulder as if trying to completely engulf her. Without a second thought her own hand snuck up and laced itself together with the larger one as the arm around her waist held her a bit tighter and a feather soft kiss was placed just below her ear. This was quite possibly the first time in several hours that she actually felt any semblance if being calm and relaxed. It was a nice feeling, one she'd become used to over the last year, but it was somehow still new in a way as well.

Her racing mind finally began to slow down, just like the infant inside her, and her last thought as she finally drifted off to sleep, was the fact that it was a good thing she didn't suffer from claustrophobic, because she really didn't want to leave the living cocoon she was currently wrapped in.

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A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been reading and for all the awesome reviews! I really do appreciate it! Also, just so you guys know, Janeway is almost eight months pregnant (about 35 weeks). You know what that means...


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek Voyager! I just play with the characters.

A/N: Well, now that we got those extra chapters out of the way, it's time to get back to our originally scheduled story….

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Kathryn Janeway knew she shouldn't be in the shuttle bay, but the new upgrades that Tom wanted to give the Delta Flyer needed her approval and, even though the pilot had insisted it could wait, she wanted to get it done so the upgrades could get started. And besides, after being trapped in either her office or quarters for the past week it couldn't hurt to get out and walk, or more precisely, waddle around her ship a bit, right?

Apparently she was wrong. If she really thought about it she realized the spasms and back pain had actually started last night, just after dinner, but they had been sporadic and she barely even noticed them considering she was over eight and a half months pregnant and therefore that kind of light pain was common.

It was only now, while she attempted to give her entire focus to Tom even as the pressure and cramps began to spread through her abdomen and back, that she realized this wasn't the normal, every day pregnancy symptoms. The pain was getting stronger as the minutes ticked by and also more regular. No, this definitely wasn't 'practice' as the Doctor had called the false labor of two weeks ago.

But the spasms were still at least fifteen minutes apart by her count, so there was no reason to go to sick bay yet. The contractions that had been hitting her for the last hour that she'd been talking with Tom were beginning to get harder to hide though. In fact, that last one had even made her wince and clutch her baby bump, but fortunately Tom had been looking away while explaining what he wanted to do to the shield plating.

_Damn…_

Her hand popped up and pressed against the Delta Flyer to keep herself up right as another contraction hit. That one was about twelve minutes apart from the last the one and slightly more intense. She bent her head and took a deep breath while rubbing her free hand over her baby bump to help ease the cramp like pain.

"Captain?" Tom's concerned voice broke through her thoughts and managed to bring her attention back to the helmsman.

She looked up at him and noticed he was watching her with a worried look and a hand on her upper arm. "I'm fine." She assured him, straightening up and swatting some wayward hair out her face. "Please, continue." She ordered in her 'Captain's Voice'.

"Captain, this can wait. Chakotay will kill me if…"

"Tom. I'm fine." She stated evenly, giving him a determine look that dared him to disagree again. "Now, what were you saying about the shielding?"

Tom gave her one more worried glance, but went back to his presentation as she had ordered. For a few minutes at least. Sure enough after about twelve minutes another contraction hint, causing her to suck in a deep breath and once again rub her baby bump soothingly. She waited for the pressure to ease, but it didn't. Apparently the spasms were now lasting longer and even her legs were beginning to feel the brief pain too.

"Tom." She gritted out, while leaning against the Delta Flyer a bit. When she glanced up to see him staring at her with wide eyes she knew she should get going. "I think the baby's coming." She added, catching his eyes and watching as they widened even more.

"Are you sure?" He asked, a slight edge of panic in his voice as he glanced up and down her body as if looking for proof.

She looked up at with a glare and a small sneer as if silently asking him if he was serious. That seemed to get the message across at least, because he suddenly grabbed her arm and began looking around the empty shuttle baby.

"Right, of course you are...um…" He began, obviously nervous and having no idea what to do. She rolled her eyes and straightened as the pain began to defuse. If this was how he was going to act when she was in labor then she could only imagine his reaction when his own wife went into labor.

She quirked an eyebrow as she watched him hit his comm badge. "Paris to security." He said, glancing back and forth from her to the doors. Security? Seriously? Did he think the baby was going to pop out with a phaser rifle or something?

"_Tuvok here."_ Came her chief of security's voice over the comm.

"Tuvok, I think we need a security team…" Tom started, making her rub her temples tiredly.

"Belay that request, Tuvok." She stated flatly and raised an eyebrow at the pilot who was now watching her.

"_Is there something wrong, Captain?"_ Tuvok asked with just the barest hint of concern. She was about to answer him with a 'no', but Mr. Paris jumped to answer for her.

"The Captain's having a baby!" He exclaimed and she could swear the hand on her arm was sweating.

A few seconds of silence proceeded the announcement before Tuvok's even voice responded. "_I see_." He stated calmly and after another brief pause in which she could vaguely hear whispered voices in the background he continued. "Might I suggest you get the Captain to sick bay then, Mr. Paris. Do you need to be transported there?"

"That wont be necessary." She stated firmly, before Tom could finish getting a confirmation out. "Janeway out." She added to brake the comm call.

"Captain…" Tom began, but she held up a hand to stop him.

"I. Am. Fine." She told him slowly, never breaking eye contact. "I'm still about twelve minutes apart and…" Another wave of spasms interrupted her sentence, causing her legs to go weak for just a second. As the pressure once again subsided she straightened and took a deep breath. "Make that ten minutes."

"Okay, we should probably get going now." Tom stated, that tinge of panic entering his voice once more.

She sent him a look before smirking amusedly and patting him on the arm. "I think that would be a good idea, Mr. Paris."

"Are you sure you don't want to be beamed…" He began, but she cut him off with a slight glare. "Right, the tough captain routine." He murmured and glanced around again as if looking for someone to come bursting through the door.

She rolled her eyes while he wasn't watching and began to walk away, leaving him standing by the shuttle. After a few seconds he seemed to realize she wasn't by his side anymore and was chasing after her. Together they made their way through the halls, him periodically placing a hand on her arm or back whenever he thought a contraction might be about to hit…which he apparently thought was going to happen every few seconds.

Along the way passing crewmen would stop and watch or at least slow down while pretending not to watch. Not that they needed to pretend, everyone within two decks probably knew she was having the baby given the way Tom was acting. Not only would he unnecessarily circle her around ever corner to make sure she didn't bump into anything, but whenever a crewmember would stop or move to the side he would announce, in an excited voice, that 'the Captain's having the baby!' or 'It's coming!'.

By the time they were actually approaching sick bay she was about ready to strangle him. The only thing stopping her was the fact that he was obviously nervous. Of course, the fact he was scared of what Chakotay would do to him if anything bad happened didn't help his anxieties either.

They did make it to sick bay eventually and without any casualties, unless of course you counted what was left of her sanity. As soon as they stepped through the door Chakotay was at her side with a look similar to Tom's half worried, half excited one. "The baby's here?" He asked, looking her up and down as Tom had done earlier, as if inspecting her for any bumps or bruises.

"Not yet, Chakotay." She said, glancing pointedly at her protruding stomach to show him that the baby was still locked away and not crawling around the ship already. "How did you get here so fast?" She asked with a suspicious look as the Doctor calmly exited his office and made his way towards her as if he had all the time in the world.

"Tuvok called. He said you were headed to sick bay so I came on down here." He answered while he 'guided' her to the biobed that the Doctor was indicating. She wasn't sure who was actually doing the guiding though considering both he and Tom were slightly behind her and each holding onto an arm while she wobbled towards the Doctor.

As she turned to pull herself up onto the bed the Doctor caught her eye with a knowing look and a glance at the other two men in the room. She smirked back slightly, but it didn't last as another contraction hit. Once the pressure subsided she opened her eyes to find herself suddenly sitting on the bio bed. She decided not to ask how she supposedly just appeared there or who it was that had 'assisted'.

"Lay back if you would, Captain." The Doctor said, while gently pushing her down. Chakotay walked around the bed to stand next to her while Tom stayed rooted to the spot near her feet.

She watched as the Doctor scanned her abdomen, making 'uh huh' noises every few seconds and generally ignoring everyone else in the room. After what felt like an eternity, but must have been less then ten minutes considering the lack of another contraction, he finally closed the tricorder and looked down her.

"Alright, Captain, you can get up now." He stated nonchalantly. She and the other two people in the room looked at him with surprised expressions for a moment before she slowly pushed herself back up into a sitting position.

"Why is she getting back up? Don't women usually have babies laying down." Chakotay asked agitatedly while glancing from her to the Doctor as she swung her legs over the bed.

"Yes, that is usually how it's done, Commander." The Doctor answered dryly. "But she's not having a baby, or at least not at this very minute." He added before turning to address her directly. "It's still too soon for the baby to be born. I would estimate about another three hours before the real labor begins."

She stared at him for a moment. If it was anyone else she'd ask if they were kidding, but considering who this was…"Three hours?"

"There's really nothing else I can do at the moment, Captain." The Doctor told her while placing the tricorder on a nearby tray. "At least not until you're further along in the process. I suggest you take a walk, relax, and when you're contractions are closer together then we'll be able to do something."

"For the past two weeks you've been telling me to stay off my feet, for the past week you've had me confined to either bed or my office chair, and now you want me to _take a walk_?" She stated with a glare.

"Well, Captain, if you prefer to stay here I certainly won't complain, but the movement may help speed the process up a bit. Plus I highly doubt you'll be moving anywhere for several hours afterwards, so…" He began and she just knew this would somehow turn into a speech about her stubbornness, so she raised a hand to stop him before he really got going.

"Never mind, just…never mind. I'll go for a walk. Maybe climb a few Jefferies Tubes while I'm at it." She said dryly before slowly sliding off the bed.

"Well, I wouldn't go quite that far. I'd prefer not to have to deliver a baby in a Jefferies Tube." He replied, sending her a look as if he actually thought she'd go around crawling through the ship and climbing ladders while in labor.

She decided to just ignore that comment and instead slowly began to waddle her way towards the exit. If she didn't need to be in sick bay then she certainly wasn't going to stay. Of course, walking around with contractions every few minutes didn't exactly appeal to her either, but she supposed even that was better then the alternative.

As she stepped out into the hallway she realized both Chakotay and Tom were right behind her, waiting as if they expected her to fall any second now. Then again, with the way she was forced to walk it probably did look like she would topple over. However she wasn't about to let them follow her all over the ship acting like she was a delicate little tea cup.

"Gentlemen, I believe you both have things you should be doing…things that don't involve being my shadow." She added with a raised eyebrow. "You can go ahead and start working on those upgrade plans, Mr. Paris."

"Now?" He asked as if the idea were completely ludicrous. Of course she also didn't miss the tinge of disappointment either. She had a feeling he'd much rather be going around spreading the news and maybe even starting another betting pool about how long her labor would last. She just raised an eyebrow at him with a look he couldn't misinterpret.

"Right." He added and began backing away before turning and heading down the hall.

"As for you…" She started, turning to look at the anxious father-to-be.

"Do you honestly expect me to just sit at a desk and focus on reports while my wife is just a few hours away from giving birth to our first born?" He asked rhetorically with his own raised eyebrow.

He looked like he was about to say something else, probably some logical excuse he'd been working on for the last five minute, but she knew him following her around wouldn't help either of them. So, before he could get another word out, she leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek while there weren't any crewmen around. That seemed to do the trick. The sudden gesture stopped the words dead in his throat, giving her a chance a speak.

"We have at least three hours before the real labor begins. There's no point in you following me around. If anything it will only make us both more anxious, so…" She explained and took a step back to regain some semblance of professionalism, though considering she was a pregnant captain standing in front of her husband who happened to be her first officer it probably didn't accomplish a whole lot. "…go work on some of those reports. Besides, if you get them done that means you wont have to worry about it once the baby's here. I'm going to check in with B'Elanna. One of us was supposed to drop by and inspect the core maintenance and since I have to walk around I might as well get some work done too."

She could tell he didn't exactly like that plan, but he couldn't argue with her logic either. So, with a sigh of acceptance, he nodded his head. "Alright, you win. I'll have Harry keep track of you though, just in case, and as soon as you're ready call me."

She nodded her head as well with a triumphant smile and watched as he reluctantly turned to leave. He didn't get far though. After only a couple of steps he stopped, turned around, and headed back in her direction. In one smooth movement he gathered her in a tight, bear like hug, holding her to his chest in a way that made her feel like she was some sort of priceless treasure that he never wanted to lose. She closed her eyes for just a moment, enjoying the familiar feeling as she returned the gentle squeeze he gave her.

After a few seconds he slowly let go of her, brushing stray hair from her eyes, and placing a sweet, yet passion filled kiss to the corner of her lips while running his thumb along the other corner. Then, with one final adoring smile which she mirrored back at him, he turned and began to walk away.

She watched until he disappeared around the corner and then turned to make her way to the nearest turbo lift. Just as she was about to tap the button to call one, another contraction hit, sending a hand up to the wall to help steady herself while the other one instinctively flew to her baby bump. The pain only lasted a few seconds and once the tension eased she hit the button and waited.

As always, the lift doors opened almost immediately, but it wasn't empty. "Captain!" Tal Celes exclaimed with wide eyes that were filled with surprise. "Shouldn't you be in sick bay?" The young woman asked while still standing just inside the turbo lift.

"Not at the moment." She answered, forcing the amused smile down.

"But aren't you…I mean, I heard…um…" She watched the young ensign fidget and glance quickly from her protruding stomach to the walls of the lift.

"Relax, ensign." She assured the young girl with a small smile. "You heard correctly, but I still have a few hours to kill before the baby's born."

"Oh…" Tal Celes responded glancing again at the baby bump as if expecting it to suddenly burst open. "I mean, yes Captain." She added, straightening up and finally meeting her eyes.

She smiled back and stepped into the lift, hiding the laugh that threatened to escape as the ensign nearly jumped to the side to let her in before quickly stepping out of the turbo lift. Just before the doors were about to close a thought accord to her, so she reached out and stopped the doors. "Ensign…" She began, and continued when the other woman stopped and looked back. "How did you hear about it so quickly?"

"Well, when Lt. Paris called, Commander Tuvok was on the bridge and apparently everyone on the bridge heard the news. A few minutes later everyone else knew too." Tal Celes answered with a shrug.

That didn't surprise her. She figured the whole ship knew after that call and now she knew for sure. "Thank you, ensign." She stated with a brief nod before stepping back into the lift just as the ensign wished her 'good luck'.

She made her way slowly to engineering, taking her time since she apparently had plenty of it. Along the way multiple members of the crew greeted her with excited grins and more 'congratulations' until she finally reached her destination.

She knew the minute she stepped inside that the engineering staff wasn't expecting her to show up here of all places, but they seemed to overcome their shock quickly and then sent her more happy grins. As she approached the warp core she noticed what appeared to be her chief engineer's feet sticking out from under a control panel.

"Anything I need to know about, Lt.?" She asked, the corner of her lips twitching upwards just slightly when she heard something drop underneath the panel.

"Captain?" Came the muffled, but still obviously surprised voice of the engineer as she began to back out carefully. Once clear of the panel, B'Elanna stood and turned to face her.

"You don't look like you're in labor." The engineer stated, eyeing her suspiciously while putting down her tool bag.

"Technically I am, but not far enough along to actually matter at the moment." She explained yet again and moved to lean against the railing. "So, is there anything I should know about?" She asked gesturing to the control panel and the warp core behind her.

"Not really. Just the engines acting up a bit. Nothing out of the ordinary though." B'Elanna answered, crossing her arms casually as if it were completely normal to have her pregnant and in labor captain standing in engineering while asking about ship's status.

"I don't suppose you have anything you need help with around here?" She asked with a half smile.

She watched as the half-klingon quirked an eyebrow amusedly. "Nope, we're good down here. Of course, I'm not suicidal either. Chakotay would probably have fit if he thought you were so much as lifting a rations card."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't disagree. In the mood Chakotay and the rest of the senior staff males have been in lately they probably would have a panic attack over something that small. That was another reason she was glad it was finally time to have the baby, maybe now Chakotay and the others wouldn't be watching and hovering over her constantly. At least if she was lucky.

She was about to ask the engineer what she thought about Tom's upgrade plans, but before she could get the words out her comm badge beeped. "_Seven to the Captain'_

"Janeway here. What is it, Seven?" She asked, watching as B'Elanna gestured for one of her staff to do something.

"_I've just detected an unidentified ship in the vicinity. It appears to be headed towards us."_

She looked up quickly, meeting B'Elanna's serious eyes for a moment. "Understood. I'm on my way." She answered and tapped her comm badge to end the call. "Double check the warp drive, just in case." She told the other woman who was already picking up her tool bag again.

She was about to head to Astrometrics, but before she could take more then two steps her comm badge beeped again. "_Captain, an unknown vessel has just dropped out of warp and is charging weapons…." _Tuvok began, only to be interrupted by the ship rocking, indicating the alien vessel had fired.

"On my way. Go to red alert and have Seven report to the bridge." She ordered, letting go of the consol she had momentarily grabbed onto while the ship rocked. With one last glance at the suddenly active engineers she began striding out the doors on her way to the bridge, labor contractions momentarily forgotten in face of the attack.

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A/N: You didn't think I'd just let Janeway have the baby that easily did you?


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Guess what? That's right…I still don't own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: Okay, here's the big chapter. It is not the last one though! There's still two more chapter left.

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Janeway strode determinedly onto the bridge as soon as the lift doors opened. Even with her odd, pregnant induced walk she still held the air of complete control and power on her ship. That didn't stop her security officer from giving her a sideways glance as if trying to determine if she was in any condition to be on the bridge though. However, if he didn't think she was, he didn't say anything.

She stepped down onto the central bridge and took the few steps to stand in front of her chair, next to her first officer who was watching her. She looked up and met his doubtful eyes that silently asked if she should be here.

"Kathryn…" He began so softly only she could hear. She narrowed her eyes, sending him a determine look that would tell him she was not backing down and that neither he nor a battalion of Klingon warriors would be able to make her budge from her spot on the bridge.

He didn't say anything else, after all he knew her well enough to know it wouldn't do any good at the moment, but she could tell he wasn't comfortable with it either. He nodded almost imperceptibly and looked forward once again.

"Report!" She ordered, slowly taking a seat as a contraction hit.

"The ship is currently standing by. It's weapons are still charged, but they haven't fired again." Tuvok informed her.

"It's signal was masked by an mechanism similar to a cloaking device only with a different matrix configuration so our sensors didn't immediately recognize it as a ship" Seven explained while working at the station just behind her. "I am attempting to reconfigure our sensors to avoid such a problem again."

"Harry, is there a populated planet near by?" She asked, standing in an attempt to alleviate the pressure her labor was causing.

"Yes, Captain." The ensign answered before glancing up with a slightly surprised, yet serious expression. "It has the life signs matching Mykantens, ma'am." He told her gravely.

"Looks like we found their home planet." She stated, observing the moderate sized ship on the view screen. "Hail them."

After only a few seconds the visual on the screen changed to show a large fur covered Mykanten with piercing red eyes that seemed to blaze right through her. "I'm Captain Janeway, of the Federation Starship _Voyager_." She began with her usual greeting. "We apologize if we've trespassed on your territory. We weren't aware that…"

"Silence, human!" The other captain exclaimed, his eyes gaining a fierce spark to them that suddenly reminded her of her former captors from months ago. "That's right…" He added, with something similar to a smirk as his flat noise twitched. "We know who you are. Our scouting base relayed all the information to us after your little invasion."

"Invasion? Is that what they told you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow while taking a step forward even through the spasm going on in her stomach that seemed to be lasting longer now. "I hate to tell you this, but your 'scouting base' was the one who attacked us. We crashed by accident on the planet and I assure you that we have no intentions of invading anyone or anything." She added with narrowed eyes. There was something about this man that set her on edge, those instincts of hers screaming at her to not trust him.

"Honestly, _Captain_…" He began, adding emphasis to her title as if mocking it, just like L'Ketar had. "I don't care how much trouble you caused to that base camp or how much damage. You've entered our space, that makes your fate _my_ responsibility. And, Captain…I don't like you." He snarled, the fur under his noise ruffling with the expelled air.

"You have ten seconds to surrender before we resume firing on your ship." He continued. "And I assure you that you will lose. You, your crew, and even the child you carry will most likely be killed in the confrontation unless you surrender to me now."

She raised an eyebrow at him again, crossing her arms and staring him dead in the eyes. "You know what happens to people who annoy pregnant women don't you? Especially pregnant Starship Captains?" She stated, giving him a glare that was her own version of a snarl. "Let's just say, it doesn't end well for them."

"You have spirit, Captain. I'll give you that much, but no amount of spirit will shield you from my ship." The Mykanten stated, his red eyes flaring dangerously again.

"You know, Captain, I'm really not in the mood for this." She hissed, her own eyes going hard as her protective nature began to surface. She swallowed back the wince of pain as another, much stronger contraction rippled through her back and down her legs. If she didn't take care of this soon then the Mykanten captain was going to get a first hand lesson on the human reproductive process.

"My crew and I just want to get home. You're standing in our way. I assure you we don't want to harm you or your people, but I wont allow you to threaten my crew or endanger this ship in any way. So I highly suggest you stand down…now." She added with a hard edge to her voice as one hand went to her stomach and the other one clenched at her side.

It was becoming harder to stand, her legs just didn't seem willing to hold her wait anymore and the contractions that were hitting her every four or five minutes weren't helping. In fact the last one nearly made her knees buckle, but she stood her ground and forced back the gasp of pain that wanted to escape her throat. Any sign of weakness might give the other captain an advantage she wasn't willing to give him.

"I will not allow you to continue, Captain." The Mykanten answered, straightening his back a bit more. "You have made your choice, now suffer the punishment." He added just before the screen went back to the view of his ship.

"They're targeting their weapons." Tuvok stated evenly. She turned and hobbled over to her chair before sinking down.

"Mr. Paris, take us down and under that ship. I want a clear shot of their engines." She ordered, while flipping up the computer screen beside her chair. "Tuvok, return fire once they begin their attack, but don't hit anything yet."

She braced herself as the Mykanten ship fired, making _Voyager_ rock violently at the force of impact. Just as the ship stopped vibrating another contraction hit, this one lasting longer and so intense that her eyes flew shut and her jaw clenched as she gripped the arm of the chair. When it finally passed she opened her eyes and looked over to see Chakotay watching with furrowed brows. She shook her head briefly before turning her attention back to the battle.

Tuvok fired back, but missed as ordered, just before another blast ricocheted through the ship as the Mykanten's continued to fire. "Shields down to seventy…." She heard Harry began before being cut off my another shot impacted. "…Make that fifty percent."

She tapped her comm badge to call engineering. _"I don't have anymore power to add to the shields, Captain."_ B'Elanna stated before she even asked. "_And at this rate we won't have warp drive either."_

"Transfer life support power to the phaser banks. We're only going to have one shot, B'Elanna, and I want it to brake right through their shielding." She ordered before turning her head to look at Seven. "Reconfigure the phasers like you did before to" Another contraction hit, nearly causing her to double over as her entire stomach cramped. "…emit a high charged electrical burst." She finished quickly once the initial pain began to disperse. She took a deep breath, not missing how several of the bridge officers began to fidget uncomfortably at their Captain's difficulty.

Another blast from the enemy's weapons caused sparks to jump from Harry's station and singe through the thinning air. "Tuvok, hold off firing until I give the word and then aim for their engines." She ordered and then looked at her helmsman as he spoke up.

"We're in place, Captain. This is the closest I can get without getting stuck in their tractor beam." He stated without look back at her.

"As soon as they're immobilized take us to high warp." She told him and held up a hand to single Tuvok. She waited until the Mykanten's fired one last time so they would think that they had the upper hand. "Now!" She gestured for Tuvok to fire and watched as the blast struck the other ship's main engine, causing a small explosion to light up the view screen.

Within a second _Voyager_ was at warp and speeding away from the enemy ship and the Mykanten planet. "Report." She stated evenly, grasping the arms of her chair as the after effects of a contraction still echoed through her body.

"We're not being followed." Harry answered. "And sensors aren't detecting anymore ships or even another planet."

"It would appear we are out of danger, Captain." Seven added.

She took a deep breath and nodded with a glance to her side at Chakotay. "Good. Resume life support and begin any repairs." She stated and slowly pushed herself up from the chair.

She was just about to take a step when another contraction slammed her body, this time taking her breath away and causing her to reach out towards the railing for support. She was vaguely aware of someone's hands on her arm, but the pain took most of her focus away from her surroundings. As she gradually regained that focus she realized it was Chakotay's hands holding her up and that he was probably the only thing really keeping her standing.

"I think it's time we get you back to sick bay, Captain." Tom stated anxiously from behind her as the two men help her turn and lean against the railing.

"You think!" She hissed sarcastically as the cramps in her stomach continued instead of dissolving.

"Harry, beam the Captain to sick…" Chakotay began as he placed a hand on her lower back to help keep her balanced, even as yet another damn contraction rippled through her body.

"I can't, sir. One of the shots took out transporter controls." She heard Harry tell him, his voice laced with a tinge of panic.

"Can you walk?" Tom, who was apparently switching into medic mode, asked.

She looked up at him with a snarl reminiscent of a Mykanten before answering. "If I could walk, I'd already be in sick bay." She stated through gritted teeth while clutching her stomach.

"Tuvok to Sick Bay." The security chief said as he approached the group gathered by the railing. "Doctor, your presence is needed on the bridge…" He stated just before a gasped escaped her throat. "immediately."

She looked around at the gathered crew, taking in the mixture of panic, excitement, horror and hope present in the expressions. This was not how she planned on having a baby and she certainly didn't want all these crew members to be present as she screamed her lungs out. "Get out." She ordered breathlessly as contractions continued to cause a rampage.

"What?" Chakotay asked, a look of confusion on his otherwise excited face.

"Clear. The damn. Bridge!" She hissed out through gritted teeth with a pointed look behind him as her legs began to wobble.

A look of understanding dawned on the expectant father's face as he turned and ordered everyone to clear the bridge. Soon the only ones left were Chakotay, Tom, Tuvok, and Seven. She glanced up the former borg with narrowed eyes. "Seven? Something I can help you with?" She asked with a hard, sarcastic tone.

"I highly doubt you are in any condition to 'help' with anything." The other woman stated casually and Janeway suddenly had the overwhelming desire to kill someone. "However, I have acquired a vast knowledge of the human birth process and may be of assistance."

She glared at the former borg through a strand of sweaty hair and was just about to describe how she could 'help', but Chakotay obviously sensed her not-too-friendly mood and stepped in. "Seven, why don't you go down to engineering and give B'Elanna a hand with the transporters." Her first officer suggested, though Seven obviously realized it wasn't exactly a suggestion because she nodded and with a final glance in her direction left the bridge.

"Tuvok, could you make sure no one else comes up here except the Doctor." Chakotay asked, moving his arm to wrap around her waist as another contraction began. The vulcan officer nodded before heading to stand guard by the turbo lift.

"Maybe we could get her to her ready room?" She vaguely heard Tom ask as she bit back the scream wanting to tear through her throat.

It was then, as the remnants of the contraction finally started to ease, that the lift doors opened to reveal the Doctor. "What seems to be the problem?" He asked good naturedly as he stepped onto the bridge.

"What the hell do you think!" She exclaimed loudly as a much stronger contraction pulled against her abdomen.

"Ah, I see you've entered the transition phase." He commented, getting a glare in return.

"I don't suppose there's anything you can giver her?" She heard Tom ask and noticed him glancing warily at her. "Preferably before she tears one of our throats out." He muttered covertly as if she wouldn't hear him. She did though, and once she was able to stand on her own she'd show him just what she thought of that comment.

"Since the transporters aren't working, I guess we'll just have to do this here." The Doctor stated as he came around to take Tom's place at her side.

She looked up at him with narrowed eyes as the last contraction began to ease off. "I am not having this baby on the bridge." She told him pointedly.

"You don't have a choice, Captain. You're too far into the process to walk and I doubt we have enough time to get you into your ready room." He stated while he and Chakotay slowly moved her off to the side and carefully helped her lay down after Tom laid a blanket, which she hadn't even noticed Tuvok had brought, down on the ground. "Besides, it's your own fault. If you hadn't insisted on coming to the bridge in the first place when you knew you were in labor…"

"Doc, I don't think now's the best time for that." Tom hissed before she could respond herself.

The Doctor glanced down and she knew he saw the glare she was sending him when the smug look faltered slightly. "Mr. Paris, go down to sick bay and get some more blankets, towels, and the pregnancy med kit by my desk." He told the helmsman as he tried to ignore the look she was still giving him.

She watched the pilot jog away into the turbo lift that Tuvok was still standing in and was just about to ask how much longer it would be when yet another contraction had her wincing and grabbing onto the closest object for support. As she rode out the spasms she took deep breaths as the Doctor was instructing until the pain ebbed away slightly.

Opening her eyes she realized the object she was gripping was in fact her husband's wrist. She looked up at him and nearly growled when he grinned down at her and brushed aside some sweaty hair from her face. Releasing his wrist she grabbed his jacket collar instead and yanked him down. "This is your fault. If you ever, so much as think about coming into my room again I will have your baby making equipment removed and then feed it to the next borg we meet!" She yelled, hoping like hell she got her point across. For a second, judging by the shocked look and pale features, she thought she had, but then he chuckled. He actually laughed! He was going to die.

Before she could detail to him exactly how he was going to meet his end another spasm rocked her body, making her back arch painfully and a scream come out of her lungs without even realizing it was she who was doing the screaming.

"It'll be alright, Kathryn." Came Chakotay's comforting voice through the fog of discomfort. "I promise I'll let you kill me later if you want" He added, which actually made her chuckle under her strangled breathing. "Just keep breathing for me."

She opened her eyes and met his dark, shimmering orbs that were filled with pride and love. Suddenly her own eyes began feeling moist and the anger slowly melted. She reached up to grab his collar again and yanked him down, but this time she lifted her head and pressed a hard kiss directly to his slightly parted lips right in the middle of the bridge. "Always." She whispered before letting him go and watching as a single tear leaked out and left a wet trail down his beaming face.

"Alright, Captain, it's time to start pushing." The Doctor's voice interrupted, making her look to the side. She didn't know when or how, but at some point they had lowered her uniform pants and thrown a blanket over her. Glancing around she noticed they were the only three people left on the bridge and, in the back of her mind, she even registered that the ship was completely stopped in space. Looking back up she waited until she caught Chakotay's eyes and felt his hand in hers before giving into the pressure.

Thirty minutes later, after more screaming, pushing, cursing and nearly breaking her first officer's fingers; a soft, high pitched cry filled the air. The beautiful little sound echoed around bridge, causing a few wayward tears to fall down her cheeks and her breath to hitch in her chest.

She watched as a tiny little form was cleaned and wrapped while Chakotay lifted her up just enough so she could then lean her back against his chest as he spread his legs on either side of her. After a few silent seconds passed the tiny bundle was carefully held out for her to take and, with a tired, yet beaming smile at the Doctor she reached out and gently took the precious creature into her arms.

She cradled it against her chest, smiling wider when she felt Chakotay wrap his arms around her torso so he could hold them both at once while placing tender kisses into her hair.

"Congratulations, you have a daughter ." The Doctor announced proudly with a small smile while he watched the new parents. "Have you decided on a name?"

Kathryn glanced up and met the new father's eyes before looking back down at the tiny little girl securely wrapped in her and Chakotay's arms. "Alexis Tala Janeway."

* * *

A/N: Congratulations to everyone who won the betting pool!

Name Meanings: Alexis=Defender; Tala(Native American,Sioux)= Red Wolf


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Star Trek Voyager.

A/N: This chapter and the next one are basically one long epilogue. Thank you to all of you for reading, alerting, favoriting and for all the great reviews! Hope you keep liking the story!

* * *

Janeway sat in the head chair at the briefing room table, waiting for the assembled admirals to take their seats in the chairs facing her. This was it. After nearly seven years lost in the Delta Quadrant, facing death and danger around every nebula, they were finally back home. There was only one more obstacle to overcome before they continued the last few light years to Earth.

The court martial.

Starfleet had wanted to deal with the offenses before they reached Earth and the chaos truly began. She had insured the freedom of her marquis crew, Seven, and even the Doctor quite easily. Now the only thing left was her own fate. The last forty-eight hours had been spent giving testimonies and reading reports for her court martial and now the Board of Admirals were about to give their decision.

She sat back relaxed, completely at ease in the familiarity of the ship that become a second home, with a look of calm control on her face. Admiral Paris sat to her right and Admiral Patterson to her left followed by five other high ranking admirals.

"Captain Kathryn Janeway." Admiral Suko addressed her to begin the final part of the hearing. She stood, hands behind her back and with her head held up high. She may have broken Starfleet protocols, the Prime Directive, and various other rules, but it was all to protect her crew…her family. And she wouldn't take it back for anything.

"We've heard testimonies from your senior officers and various other crewmembers. We've read your log reports and deliberated on the matter of your transgressions. Our decision stands thus:…" The admiral continued, holding a padd up as he read over the contents before leveling her with an emotionless stare. "We unanimously agree that you should be cleared on all counts."

"Thank you, Admiral." She said, silently releasing her breath and smiling slightly at the board.

"No, Captain, thank you." Admiral Talkenson said from his seat next to Admiral Paris. "You've accomplished more these past few years then we could hope. You've brought your crew home when many of us lost hope of seeing family or friends again."

"Not to mention the positive press you'll give Starfleet. We'd be cutting our own throats by convicting you." Admiral Patterson stated with a scoff and knowing look in her direction, the same knowing look he used to give her back at the Academy.

"I believe we've kept you away from your crew long enough, Captain." Admiral Paris announced as he stood, being followed by the other admirals. He gave her a small smile before gesturing to the door that lead to the hallway. With a brief nod she took his suggestion and made her way to the door so she could deliver the news.

She didn't have far to go apparently. As soon as the doors slid open she was met with the expectant faces of her senior staff, minus Tuvok, all standing against the opposite wall. They weren't the only ones either. The rest of her crew was lined up along the corridor, going as far as she could see, and all standing at attention as soon as the doors opened.

She took a step into the hallway, keeping her face neutral even as numerous faces turned in her direction waiting for an answer. "Looks like I'm still the captain." She stated with a smirk that turned into a smile as her crew began applauding and cheering all the way down the hall and around the corner.

She turned to look back at her senior staff just in time to see them smiling as well. However, she didn't get a long look before Chakotay stepped forward and engulfed her in a tight hug, effectively blocking her view. "There's a party set up in the mess hall to celebrate being home." He told her as he let her go, completely ignoring the admirals still standing in the doorway watching amusedly.

"We've been home for three days." She pointed out with a small smirk.

"Yeah, but we couldn't really celebrate without knowing if our Captain would still be, you know, a Captain." Tom stated with a cheeky grin. "If you know what I mean?"

"No, but no one knows what you mean half the time anyways." B'Elanna answered as her husband linked his arm around her shoulders with a fake offended look.

"Shall we?" Chakotay asked, offering her his arm while the others continued bickering. She quirked an eyebrow at him for a moment and then, with a quick glance at the still amused admirals, took his arm and began walking down the crew lined hallway.

It seemed the entire crew was lining the corridors from the briefing room to the mess hall. As she passed they would smile happily or, in Naomi's case, wave and then pretend to be standing at attention again. There were only two people missing in the honor guard. Tuvok, who she knew would be on one of the other ships getting his treatment, and Alexis.

She wondered where her daughter was, but as they neared the mess hall she heard Harry and Tom whispering behind her which temporarily drew her attention to them. She glanced back with a suspicious look just as they turned the corner and when they smiled at something over her shoulder she immediately looked ahead again.

What she saw caused a grin to spread across her face. There, standing in front of the mess hall doors, was non other then her Security Officer and in his arms was her seven month old daughter who was, as always, fascinated with her uncle Tuvok's ears.

"Captain." He greeted while gently removing Alexis' small hand from the tip of his ear.

"Tuvok…" She began, holding back the laughter that wanted to escape as Lexie started pulling on his ear again. "How are you feeling?"

"The treatment seemed to have worked." He answered simply, shifting the little girl in his arms in an attempt to keep her from the eyebrow she was now entranced by. "I returned as soon as possible." He added, giving her an unemotional look that she could see right through in an instant.

"I gave him my own check up as soon as he returned." The Doctor stated as he handed a sleeping Miral to her parents. The little girl was barely even three days olds and already seemed attached to her godfather judging by the way she whimpered softly during the hand off.

"I was under the impression that the party was inside the mess hall, not out in the corridors." Admiral Paris interrupted from his position at the rear of the senior staff train.

"Patients is a wise man's tool, Admiral." She stated, with a quick glance back before taking the infant that Tuvok was handing her.

"Using my own word's against me now, Janeway?" The admiral said accusingly, but with the same teasing undertone that she knew his son inherited.

She quirked an eyebrow at him with a half smile before turning and entering the festively decorated mess hall followed by her senior staff and crew.

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A/N: It's almost over now. Only one chapter left. Thanks for sticking around!


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I know you are all tired of hearing this, but they still insist I tell you anyways. I absolutely do not own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: So, here it is, the final chapter to this little story. Hope you all have enjoyed the ride. Thank you so much for reading, for alerts and favorites, and for the great reviews! Now, before I stop rambling, I just want to let you all know that I have an important note at the end of this chapter. You have awhile before you reach it though. Until then…enjoy!

* * *

Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway stood watching all the people talking amicably and the children running around outside of her and Chakotay's house. The annual _Voyager _reunion was in full swing and, even after five years of being back in the Alpha Quadrant, it still seemed like that first year in a way.

It was almost as if they'd never even gone their separate ways, though for some of them that was true. Really the only difference from that first reunion was that there were now many more people lounging about and having a good time. The Voyager family had grown to extend to children, siblings, parents, and close friends. And by next year they'd have yet another addition to this ever growing family.

Kathryn let her hand run leisurely over her eight month pregnant stomach while smiling at the two five year old girls chasing after their Uncle Harry. Alexis and Miral were best friends, sisters even since they'd practically grown up together. Then there was little Aurora Kaitlyn Paris, the two year old was hanging onto her father's arm while Tuvok and his wife stood talking with Tom.

"I believe this belongs to you." The Doctor stated, pulling her from her observations. She looked over to see him approaching with Jason Takoda Janeway in his arms. "Your son was attempting to use the punch bowl as a bathtub. Apparently he has your affinity for baths."

Kathryn smiled softly as she took the three year old from his Uncle, brushing some of his dark hair away from his eyes as she did. "Oh, and it might interest you to know that your mother is trying to talk Seven into adoption again." The Doctor continued with a pointed look as if it was all her fault.

Janeway rolled her eyes. Ever since they returned it seemed her mother wanted _everyone_ to give her grandbabies. Seven particularly since Gretchen Janeway was convinced the former borg would make an excellent mother just like her two daughters had. It seemed like only a week ago that her mother had finally met Alexis and started going into her 'be the best grandma possible' attitude….

_Janeway stood amongst her crew as they milled about the grand hall with long lost friends and family. Upon their arrival to Earth they had immediately beamed down to Starfleet Command's main Ball Room where a 'Welcome Home' party was being held, complete with relatives of the crew. The large banquet hall was packed with crying, laughing, smiling faces as friends and family were reunited at last. _

_For the last thirty minutes she'd been dragged and pushed from group to group to be introduced by a crewmember to his or her family. She'd had more hugs and handshakes from people she'd never actually met then she'd had her entire life and it didn't seem like it was going to be stopping anytime soon. It was all worth it to see the proud and happy smiles of her crew though. _

"_There they are." Chakotay whispered in her ear as he came up from behind her with Alexis in his arms. He pointed to the big double doors and she looked up just in time to see her mother and sister hurrying down the stairs._

_They spotted her almost immediately, grins spreading over their faces, and hers, as they started towards her. She grabbed Chakotay's arm and began leading him forward before anyone else could sideline her. _

_She laughed as Phoebe started running, dodging through the groups of people on her way and being followed closely by her mother. Before she new what was happening a beaming Phoebe was jumping towards her and practically knocking her off her feet on the impact. Kathryn smiled, closing her eyes and hugging her long lost sister back even as she felt tears soaking into her uniform covered shoulder._

"_Don't you ever do that to me again, Kathryn Janeway!" Phoebe exclaimed with a teary smile as she punched her sister's arm teasingly. "Or so help me I'll…"_

_The sentence was cut off as Gretchen slipped past her younger daughter and pulled Kathryn into hug so tight it nearly cut off circulation. "My baby's home." She whispered, a few silent tears of joy leaking out of her eyes._

_When Kathryn was finally released long enough to regain the ability to breath she glanced back at Chakotay, who stood just behind her, and pulled him forward until he was right by her side. "This is Chakotay." She began, smiling up at her husband before taking their daughter and turning to face her mother. "And this is…"_

"_Alexis!" Her mother exclaimed proudly with a beaming smile. She reached out, taking Lexie in her arms and turning to Phoebe. "Look at this precious little girl! She looks just like her mother." She added, hugging Alexis tightly to her chest while Phoebe 'owed' and 'awed' at the infant._

_Kathryn smiled, glancing up at Chakotay as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss into her hair. "You're admirers are watching." He whispered a few seconds later, glancing pointedly around them._

_She followed his gaze, noticing the misty eyes and grinning faces of her crew and their family as some of them watched the exchange. It wouldn't be long before she was pulled back into the crowds, being ushered from person to person and she had no doubt the next few months would be just as hectic with press and more 'Welcome Home' events, so for now she planned on enjoying this moment of peace for as long as possible._

Thinking back on that moment it still didn't seem like it had been five years ago. At least it didn't seem like it right now. Some days it was like decades in the past., but at the moment it was memories like that and the dozens of others that felt so recent.

She didn't even realize the Doctor had moved on to talk with Sam until she felt a pair of warm hands from behind sliding over her sides and around to the baby bump. "You're looking very contemplative." The deep, smooth voice of her husband broke her thoughts and made a small smile tug her lips upwards. She let a hand fall down to her baby bump and lace with one of his while his other hand rubbed soothing circles.

"A lot of things to think about." She answered calmly, placing a soft kiss on Jason's head as he slept on her shoulder.

"Like a name for the newest _Voyager_ crewmember?" He asked teasingly, making her smirk at the statement. It still amused her that even now, after fiver years of being home, all new additions from any of the crew were known as 'new crewmembers' and they all still considered themselves a member of her crew. Of course, she still considered each and every one of them her crew as well.

"I'm leaning towards Cara." She answered, watching as Naomi lead Miral and Lexie towards the buffet table, B'Elanna following with an amused smirk.

"Cara…" Chakotay murmured thoughtfully while nodding. "I like it too." Kathryn turned around to face Chakotay and shifted Jason in her arms as he began to wake up.

"Daddy!" Jason murmured sleepily as he opened his eyes and saw his father.

"Hey, buddy." Chakotay said softly while placing a hand on the little boy's head and getting a yawn in response. Kathryn smiled at them both, grinning even wider as Chakotay leaned in for a kiss.

"Mamma!" The sound of Alexis' excited voice broke them apart as they turned to see B'Elanna approaching with Miral and Alexis on either side of her. Lexie ran up to her parents and threw one arm around Chakotay's leg and the other around Kathryn's and then looked up with a toothy grin and those crystal blue eyes.

Chakotay and B'Elanna started talking, the girls plopping down on the grass to play, but Kathryn couldn't focus on the conversation. And this time it wasn't memories or random thoughts that had her preoccupied. Instead it was the dull spasms going on in her lower back and abdomen.

Uh oh…

"Kathryn?" Chakotay asked, brows furrowed as he and B'Elanna watched her.

A stronger spasm began in her back, making it's way around to her stomach. "Take Jason." She ordered firmly, holding the half asleep boy out for Chakotay to take. He did and just in time as she nearly doubled over in pain.

"Get the Doctor." She then heard Chakotay say and watched as B'Elanna ran off to fetch the other man. The next thing she knew people were running around her. Apparently the newest _Voyager_ crewmember was coming sooner then anyone thought.

* * *

Admiral Janeway took her seat in the front row next to her husband of almost 25 years. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, but plenty of sun shinning on the spacious garden behind the Paris household. She looked around at the mass of people gathered. It seemed that almost the entire former crew of _Voyager_ was at attendance.

A few rows back Lt. Naomi Wildman was sitting between Icheb and her mother, Tal Celes just behind them with her two year old son in her lap, Gerron on her left and Commander Vorik to her right. On the other side of the isle, in the front row, was Seven and the Doctor. Captain Harry Kim, who to this day she couldn't look at without seeing her young ensign, was standing with the band to the left of the make shift alter while discussing something with Tuvok.

She was just about to get up and see what her old friend and Harry were discussing, but before she could so much as start standing she felt Chakotay's familiar warm hand suddenly sneaking onto her knee. She looked over to see him watching her with a knowing look and a bad attempt at hiding a smile. She rolled her eyes, but sat back, subtly scooting a little closer to her former First Officer then was necessary.

She supposed she had been getting up and down a lot over the last hour, but she couldn't help it. First it had been something with the reception dinner, then a dress uniform dilemma with Sam, checking on Aurora one last time, checking on Jason one last time, and then a emergency call from the cook that had her hurrying inside to stop an enraged B'Elanna from shoving the man's face in the cake. And this last time she'd just returned from checking in with Aurora, Alexis, Miral, _and _Cara, the latter of which had somehow managed to get a dark substance suspiciously resembling chocolate on the sleeve of her dress. All in all, it had been a very busy day. A day that wasn't even over yet!

She sighed, looking around again to subtly check to make sure everything was ready. Not that she needed to. Between Tom, Harry, the Docter and Gretchen Janeway there was no way anything could be even an inch out of it's designated place. Not to mention B'Elanna who seemed ready to the rip the head off anyone who so much as thought about ruining her youngest daughter's wedding day. She was pretty sure the half-klingon had scared the cook into a coronary. Speaking of protective half-klingons…

B'Elanna dropped down into the chair next to her with a slight huff. "That man is a complete idiot." She stated firmly, obviously referring to the now traumatized cook.

Kathryn repressed a laugh and instead just nodded with a small smirk, patting the other woman on the arm at the same time. "I'm sure my mother and the Admiral can handle it." She assured her. Upon dragging B'Elanna from the kitchen they had run into her mother who then promised to handle anymore 'food confusions' and volunteered Owen Paris to help as well.

"Shouldn't you be on the other side, Torres." Chakotay stated teasingly, while looking over her shoulder at B'Elanna and gesturing to the chairs on the other side of isle.

"Shut up, Chakotay." B'Elanna's answer was hard, but laced with her own brand of teasing that they'd all become accustomed to over the last several years.

A few minutes later, after watching amusedly as Gretchen and Owen casually wondered over to the right hand side of the congregation and took seats next to a harassed looking Seven, Jason finally took his place on the make shift stage, right in front of the small gazebo just a few feet away.

Kathryn smiled at her son, noticing how Chakotay suddenly had proud look in his eyes as he grasped her hand a bit tighter. Standing up there in his tux, his pitch black hair waving a bit in the wind, he really did look just like his father. He even had his father's jaw structure and definitely his smile. The only difference was the hazel eyes like his grandfather and the nose which he got from her. Mainly, however, he had 'Chakotay' written all over him.

Then again everyone said Alexis could be her clone. And she had to admit that there were times, especially lately, that she could look into her daughter's deep blue eyes, see the reddish-blonde hair and half smile and swear she was looking into a mirror and seeing a younger version of herself. Harry even pointed out, on several occasions, how Alexis could be seen with hands on her hips as if she was standing on the bridge of a starship and dishing out orders.

Cara Kes Janeway was a bit different. The youngest Janeway, at 18 years old, was a perfect blend of both her and Chakotay. Brown eyes that glistened in the sun and reddish-brown hair that was just a bit darker then her sister's. She was the ultimate combination of Janeway and Chakotay genetics. Even her personality would range between her father's calm serenity and her own sarcastic attitude.

Tuvok moving past her to take his seat at the end of the isle broke her musings just in time to watch Harry get ready to start the procession music. Jason straightened, eyes going to the makeshift entry way at the end of the pale gold clothe being used as a walkway. Next to him stood Rojan, one of Jason's best friends and best man.

As music began to drift through the air the audience stood, turning to face the entry way. First to emerge were the bridesmaids; Miral in her Starfleet dress uniform, Cara, and then Alexis who was wearing her dress uniform as well. They walked up to the little carpeted area being used as an alter. Cara winked at her brother as she moved to stand next to Miral, getting a little grin in return.

The crowd gathered smiled as Alexis unexpectedly stepped over to stand next to Jason instead of with the other two girls, pushing Rojan over a bit, much to Jason's apparent amusement. She then smirked over at Miral who just rolled her eyes.

As the girls took their places the music changed and everyone looked back at the entry way. Aurora, dressed in a beautiful dark maroon, long sleeved dress, slowly walked down the isle, being escorted by Tom who was grinning from ear to ear. Kathryn smiled as well, remembering how Tom had grinned just like that when he first showed off his second born to her extended family who'd been waiting outside B'Elanna's hospital room for nearly nine hours.

Once Tom handed the bride off to her awaiting fiancé he turned and took his seat next to B'Elanna, grabbing her hand like Chakotay had Kathryn's. The ceremony then proceeded smoothly, bride and groom reading vows, going through the traditional human wedding ceremony until the end. Then, right after they shared a kiss to which Cara made a gagging gesture, Captain Kim presented them with a bat'leth as per Klingon tradition. Minus the actual combat, of course.

The wedding ceremony was followed by the reception which was being held inside the Paris home with overflow and mingling on the front lawn and basically anywhere else someone felt like wandering to. It was, to the say the least, a comfortable and relaxed party. Like one big family all shoved into one area. Most people would probably find being stuck in small spaces with so many people a bit discomforting, but not this crowd. Many of them were, after all, used to conditions like that.

Once again, like every year it seemed, Kathryn Janeway was struck with how natural this all seemed. As if no time had passed since _Voyager_ first got pulled thousands of light-years from home. Maybe it was because her crew, her big extended family, never really left each other. They may have spread out, talked less in some instances, but they were always together in one way or another. And for some of them, like her and Chakotay, Tom and B'Elanna, the Doctor, Tuvok, and Seven it worked out even better because they saw each other at least once a week if not every day. They had all stuck together in the Delta Quadrant and she knew they always would, even when not being constantly attacked by murderous aliens. They stood by each other through thick and thin, through the fights and danger and fear even when they wanted to just give up or strangle each other, depending on the situation. Because they were family, an ever growing family, and nothing would ever change that. At least, not if Kathryn Janeway had a say in the matter. And everyone knew she did.

* * *

A/N: First of all, I want to thank you all again for everything! You guys are seriously awesome! Secondly, I have thought about writing a sequal to this story. It probably wouldn't be as long and wouldn't be posted right away (I have a couple other stories already lined up). But I don't know how many people would be interested. So please review and let me know what you think. That's it for now, so thanks for sticking around!


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